People are in Mygo, and I can write their personalities.

The rumors that Lin Guzi was actually a "stand-in" hired by Li hope, that Su Shi couldn't function without her as a "glue" and "atmosphere-maker," and that this group was just a bunch of awkward oddballs who couldn't function without any of them...

She knows everything!

Although Nanami Natsuki is a little devil, what she said is indeed true. In this band, everyone needs something from others.

Now that she knows the trump card, what is she afraid of?

If she adopts an attitude of "if they don't want me here, there are plenty of other places that will," Nagasaki Motoyo, who values ​​the band more than his own life, will definitely soften up immediately and beg her to stay!

Victory is assured!

Ai Yin mentally gave herself a thumbs-up, her eyes sparkling with victory, and then calmly waited for Su Shi to try and persuade her to stay.

Just watch, Nagasaki Motoyo's hypocritical face will definitely crumble, and she'll definitely reveal that humiliating expression of having no choice but to compromise...

however--

"Enough!!!"

A scream, choked with sobs, suddenly rang out in the not-so-spacious rehearsal room, making everyone's eardrums buzz.

The sound was shrill and desperate, like the final lament of a wounded little animal.

It is neither Su Shi nor Lin Gu Zi.

Takasatsu Tō, who had been huddled in the corner like a transparent person, was now clutching the lyric book tightly in his hand, his whole body trembling violently.

She had been keeping her head down, her bangs covering her eyes, but at that moment, she suddenly raised her head.

Those eyes, which were always evasive, always timid, always hiding their inner brilliance but never daring to show it, were now brimming with tears, and with an unprecedented outburst of emotion born from being driven to the brink of despair.

"What do you take a band for?!"

The lamp's voice became hoarse and even cracked due to excessive force, each word sounding like flesh and blood being torn from its throat.

"Coming and going as you please... leaving as you please... arguing... blaming each other... testing each other... is this what you call a band?!"

Aine's smile froze instantly, as if her playful mask had been shattered by a heavy hammer, revealing the astonishment and panic beneath.

Su Shi's prepared lines got stuck in her throat. She looked at the lamp as if she were seeing this girl for the first time.

Even Lin Guzi, who had been watching the show and felt that everything was under control, was startled by this sudden outburst and shrank back, his mouth slightly open under his mask.

"I..." Deng looked at them, tears streaming down her face like a broken string of pearls. "I just wanted to sing with everyone... I just wanted to convey what was in my heart..."

"I thought... as long as we were all together, we could be like we were back in Crychic..."

"Why...why did it have to turn out like this?"

She took a step forward, her body swaying precariously, yet with unwavering determination.

"If... if it's a place filled with lies and scheming... if it's a place where people don't care about each other's feelings at all..."

Takamatsu suddenly raised the notebook in his hand.

That notebook she carried with her, filled with all her random thoughts, her observations of the world, and lyrics for songs that hadn't yet been set to music, was a treasure she cherished.

"Snapped!!!"

She used all her strength to slam it hard onto the ground.

The notebook slid across the ground, its pages scattering like broken wings.

"Then I don't want to continue!"

The lamp roared out its last words, then turned and ran outside, tears tracing a desolate arc in the air.

"lamp!"

"Little lamp!"

The rehearsal room was deathly silent, except for the lonely notebook lying on the floor and the three people who were still in a daze.

Chapter 140 The Belated Truth

The air in the rehearsal room seemed to solidify, so heavy that it was hard to breathe.

The notebook lying alone on the ground, like an abandoned corpse, silently testified to everything that had just happened. Su Shi was stunned, Lin Gu Zi was stunned, and even Le Nai, who had been indifferent until now, stopped eating her bread.

Everyone was stunned by Gao Songdeng's explosive emotions.

In this deathly silence, Chihaya Aine was the first to move.

She looked at Nagasaki Motoyo, who was staring in astonishment, and then at Hayashi Koko, who was still in a daze. The emotions she felt, called "anger" and "impulse," did not dissipate because of the lamp's departure. Instead, they were completely ignited by that shrill roar.

Is this what you wanted?

Ai Yin gritted her teeth and forced out the words. Without waiting for anyone's reply, she ripped the guitar off her back and slammed it heavily to the ground with a loud bang.

"I've had enough... I've really had enough of you riddle makers, and I've had enough of this damn atmosphere!"

If she doesn't chase after her, if she just watches the lights run away, then what is Chihaya Aine? Is she just a coward who only relies on Nanami Natsuki and doesn't even dare to reach out for what she wants to protect?

No, she isn't.

“Aiyin, you…” Su Shi seemed to want to say something.

"Shut up!"

Without looking back, Ai Yin turned around and rushed out of the rehearsal room.

run.

Running nonstop.

Her lungs began to burn, her breathing became rapid, but Aine's steps did not falter. She rushed out of RiNG's gate, the afterglow of the setting sun stinging her eyes, the streets bustling with people, yet the noise seemed to be isolated in another world.

She frantically searched through the crowd for that small figure that seemed ready to disappear at any moment.

"Light! Little light!"

She shouted loudly, ignoring the strange looks from passersby. Shame? That kind of thing had been "disciplined" by Nanami Natsuki last night; it was long gone, thrown into who-knows-where.

Finally, at the intersection leading to the overpass, she saw the figure crouching in the corner of the railing, curled up into a ball.

"Huh...huh..."

Aiyin ran over breathlessly and stopped in front of the figure. She bent over, put her hands on her knees, and gasped for air, trying to calm her heart which was pounding in her chest.

The lamp didn't look up. She buried her face in her knees, her shoulders trembling slightly, like a wounded little animal licking its wounds alone.

"finally found you……"

Ai Yin caught her breath and plopped down next to the lamp. The cold floor seeped through her skirt, but she didn't care.

"Why...did you chase after me..."

The lamp's voice was muffled, with a heavy nasal tone, coming from the crook of her arm, "You also think... I'm a nuisance, right? I also... think I'm a nuisance."

"Yes, it is indeed quite troublesome."

Unlike before, Aine didn't offer empty words of comfort like "It's okay" or "It's not your fault." She looked up at the setting sun on the horizon, her tone unusually calm.

“You’re a problem, Su Shi is a problem, and that drummer with the mask is even more of a problem… There’s not a single normal person in this band.”

Lamp stiffened, seemingly not expecting Aine to so directly affirm her self-loathing.

“But, light.” Ai Yin turned her head to look at the girl beside her who was like a hedgehog, raising her sharp quills to protect herself, and a self-deprecating smile appeared on her lips. “I’m not a normal person either.”

"You know what? I told you before that I came back from studying in the UK, but that was just a nice way of putting it."

The lamp slowly raised its head, a hint of confusion flickering in its swollen red eyes.

"The truth is, I escaped back."

Aine took a deep breath and decided to lay bare the most unbearable secret that had been buried deep in her heart and that she hadn't even fully confessed to Nanami Natsuki, revealing it to the girl in front of her in a bloody and raw way.

"I am not some kind of returned elite at all. My time in the UK was like hell for me."

"I don't understand the slang and catchphrases there, I can't comprehend their rapid-fire slang, and I even have to rehearse ordering food in my mind several times before I dare to speak. At school, I'm always the one on the fringes of the group. I want to fit in, I want to be the center of attention like before, but... I can't."

"I tried my best to show myself, rushing to answer questions in class, but I was ridiculed by the whole class for my non-standard pronunciation; I wanted to join their club, but I made a fool of myself because I didn't know the rules."

"The feeling of being isolated, ignored, and treated like a clown... is really painful."

"So I ran away. I made excuses, saying I wasn't feeling well and couldn't adapt to the climate there, and slunk back to Japan. Then, to cover up this failure and to maintain my pitiful self-esteem, I put on a dazzling act, wanting to become the center of attention again at the new school."

As Aine spoke, her eyes reddened, but she forced herself not to let the tears fall. She looked at the lamp, her gaze honest and undisguised.

"So when I asked you to form a band, it wasn't for any dream, nor to help you convey your feelings. I just... just wanted to use you."

“I want to use your popularity in the class to help me get back to the center stage, so that those who look down on me, and even myself, will feel that I am still someone of importance.”

"I'm just a selfish, vain, and useless coward. I didn't do this for you or for Xiaoyue; I did it purely for myself."

Deng stared blankly at Aine. She had never imagined that this girl, who always had a smile on her face and seemed so confident, could harbor such deep inferiority and pain inside.

"But...but Aine-chan, you..."

"It's not over yet." Ai interrupted Tama, gave a bitter laugh, and reached out to gently wipe away the tears on Tama's cheeks. "You think this is the end? No, the most ridiculous part is yet to come."

"Do you know why I've become like this? Why did I suddenly dare to speak loudly in front of Su Shi? Why did I suddenly become so... 'shameless'?"

The lamp shook its head.

"Because of Nanami Natsuki."

When Aine uttered the name, her tone was indescribably complex. There was resentment, fear, dependence, and even... a hint of infatuation that she herself was unwilling to admit.

"You... know Nanami-kun?" Lamp recalled the girl he had met in RiNG before.

“It’s more than just knowing each other.” Aine’s eyes became somewhat unfocused. “Light, what I’m about to say might be beyond your comprehension, and might even make you think I’m crazy. But… please believe me, it’s all true.”

She took a deep breath and poured out all her experiences from the past few days, like beans spilling from a bamboo tube.

“Natsuki Nanami…she is no ordinary person. She possesses the power to manipulate people’s hearts.”

"Manipulating...people's hearts?" The lamp's pupils contracted slightly.

“That’s right. She can take away someone’s talent, modify someone’s memories, and even… change someone’s personality.”

Aine begins to recount her story with Nanami Natsuki. From being deceived by his appearance at the beginning to discovering his true colors later; from being tricked by him under the guise of "teaching guitar" to the conversation about "selfishness" on the rooftop later on.

She spoke in great detail, holding almost nothing back except for the indescribable physical intimacy that occurred at Natsuki's house that night.

"She saw through my true nature, saw through my hypocrisy and vanity. She mocked me, attacked me, and trampled my self-esteem underfoot."

"But... she also gave me a sense of relief I had never experienced before."