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

Just then, her gaze suddenly caught sight of a familiar figure not far ahead. That signature blue hair stood out even in the dim light.

"That's... Xiangzi?"

Ai-yin instinctively took a step forward and raised her hand. "Hey, Xiangzi..."

However, before she could raise her hand above her head, Su Shi grabbed it tightly from beside her.

"What are you doing?" Su Shi's voice was as cold as ice, and her eyes were full of warning.

"Huh? Can't I even say hello? After all, we've known each other before..."

“The past is the past.” Nagasaki Motoyo interrupted her coldly, her gaze lingering on the blue figure for a moment before quickly looking away, as if looking at it for even a second would burn her. “We have no connection with her anymore.”

"She doesn't need our greetings now, and you have no reason to go to her and humiliate yourself. Also, Crychic's matter has nothing to do with you."

"..."

"Sorry, that's not what I meant. I just meant..."

"...Oh, I know, and why were you so fierce just now?"

Ai Yin shrank back and awkwardly withdrew her hand. Although she still felt a little awkward, seeing Su Shi's gloomy face, she wisely kept quiet.

After passing through the ticket gates and entering the venue, the two found their seats in the somewhat crowded space. At the other end of the venue, a blonde girl wearing sunglasses and a mask, fully disguised and afraid of being recognized—Hatsuka Mitsumi—was sitting in a VIP seat in the corner, her fingers flying across her phone screen.

Listen up, when the first song ends and the second song begins, regardless of what was originally planned, you immediately have them play the song "Yan"!

As Chu Hua pressed the send button, a cruel smile crept onto her lips.

Backstage, Yutenji Wakana, who was making final preparations, almost dropped her drumsticks when she saw the message pop up on her phone screen.

"Yan"? That song hasn't been rehearsed more than a few times yet, has an extremely strange rhythm, and places very high demands on the lead singer. To suddenly change the song in this kind of situation... isn't that just going to ruin that girl named Gao Songdeng?

She subconsciously looked up and saw Nanami Natsuki, who was holding a guitar and staring blankly not far away.

However, as if Nanami Natsuki had eyes in the back of her head, she turned around precisely the moment Nanami looked over and gave her a gentle and lovely smile.

Sigh... It's so sinful to cooperate with that heartless witch to deceive such an ignorant girl.

......

The lights suddenly went out, and a spotlight shone directly onto the center of the stage.

The moment that figure stepped out, the air below the stage seemed to freeze.

It's not because the lead singer is so beautiful, but because... is that person really Takamatsu Akari?

The girl, who always wore a simple school uniform and wished she could hide in the ground, was now wearing an elaborate and exaggerated gothic-style long dress, with heavy dark makeup on her face. Her originally smooth short hair was messy and flamboyant, and even had a few strands of eye-catching red dyed on it.

She stood there, no longer like a patch of moss, but like a poisonous datura blooming on rotten soil.

"That's... a lamp?"

Chihaya Aine covered her mouth, too shocked to speak.

Immediately afterward, a wave of intense regret washed over her. These past few days, she'd been so focused on practicing guitar and stabilizing the band's atmosphere that she'd completely neglected Deng. She'd thought Deng just needed time to calm down, but she hadn't expected... her to turn out like this.

Meanwhile, Su Shi and Xiang Zi on the other side were just as shocked as Aine.

Su Shi muttered to herself, seemingly lost in thought, her fingers tightly intertwined. She couldn't believe that the child who always followed her around, never daring to speak loudly, could exude such an aggressive aura.

Toyokawa Shoko, who was sitting alone on the other side, had the same reaction.

She's been busy thinking about music lately, and she thought Nanami Natsuki gave her a ticket to come over to show off Mujica's recent achievements.

I never expected... this brat is still so annoying.

But soon, all three of them sighed in unison, accepting this reality. After all, once you're involved with that Nanami Natsuki, it seems like nothing outrageous could possibly happen.

Even they themselves have become unrecognizable, so what right do they have to be surprised by the changes in the lamp?

The music is ringing.

The first song was a piece specially adapted by Li Xi for Deng, both passionate and subdued. Deng's voice, transmitted through the microphone, resounded throughout the venue, no longer the cautious murmur of the past, but a heart-wrenching scream, as if he wanted to vomit out all the pain in his soul.

That explosive power, that infectious energy, left the three women in the audience speechless.

When the song ended, the applause was sparse, but everyone was shocked by this almost self-destructive performance.

Aren't they... too selfish?

Su Shi lowered his head, his mind constantly reflecting on himself.

They always said they wanted to protect Koden, to keep her from getting hurt, and to keep her away from Nanami Natsuki... But in reality, they just kept Koden in their self-righteous greenhouse.

On the other side, Xiangzi didn't say anything, but just looked at the panting figure on the stage with a complicated expression.

After a brief pause, the second song is about to begin.

Lixi's fingers were already on the keyboard, and Hailing was ready as well.

However, at this moment—

"Thump thump! Tap tap tap thump!"

A completely unfamiliar, aggressive, and discordant drumbeat suddenly burst out of the speakers without warning!

This wasn't a pre-selected track!

Lixi abruptly turned to look at the drummer's seat, and Hailing frowned as well. Deng, standing in front of the microphone, froze, his previously built-up momentum instantly disrupted, and a clear hint of panic flashed in his eyes.

Then, the previously replaced Bottom track came from the speakers—the intro to "Yan".

It was a very difficult piece that they had only practiced a few times in the practice room and were not ready to perform on stage at all.

Chu Hua, sitting in the audience, revealed a cruel smile behind her sunglasses.

"Is it over? Is everything in chaos? Takamatsu Akari, let's see how you sing now! Make a fool of yourself in front of hundreds of people, and then collapse in despair! This is the painful price to pay for taking my place next to Sister Yue!"

On stage, Lixi and Hailing exchanged a glance. Although shocked, their instincts as musicians allowed them to react within seconds.

There was no other way but to bite the bullet and keep up!

The sounds of instruments came in sparsely, trying to keep up with the rhythm of the drums. But lead singer Gao Songdeng remained frozen in place, his hands gripping the microphone stand tightly, his face pale, his lips trembling, unable to utter a single syllable.

This is the scene Chu Hua wanted.

However, just as Chu Hua was preparing to enjoy the climax of this "execution"—

Nanami Natsuki, who had been standing in the shadows on the side of the stage with her guitar on her back, moved.

She walked a few steps to the center of the stage and stood beside the trembling lamp.

Under everyone's gaze, she reached out and gently but firmly took the microphone from Deng's hand, then skillfully placed it back on the microphone stand.

Then, instead of backing away, she directly grasped the lamp's cold hand.

"Don't be afraid."

Nanami Natsuki leaned close to Akari's ear and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Since it was my little puppy who caused this trouble, then your master will face it with you."

The next second, Nanami Natsuki strummed the guitar strings.

She actually went straight into the main theme, singing the first line of lyrics with her voice, which, while not top-notch, was definitely full of confidence and power.

As she sensed this power, the light in Takamatsu Akari's eyes shifted, and she seemed to feel a tenderness she had never experienced before, even in Crychic.

She silently memorized the melody and listened to the lyrics sung by the girl beside her. Only then did she realize that... it seemed that these "shouts" created by Li Xi were not much different from what she had in mind.

We were clearly one, so why did we drift apart for such reasons? Indeed... it was because her courage wasn't obvious enough, and her voice wasn't loud enough.

—It couldn't drown out the commotion of everyone arguing over trivial matters.

"Sing, sing out what's in your heart." Nanami Natsuki stood next to Akari and, taking advantage of the interlude, handed the microphone back to Akari.

At the same time, she whispered the encouraging words she had just said into the lamp's ear.

Under Nanami Natsuki's lead, Akari finally opened her mouth. Her impromptu lyrics, along with the melody, intertwined and collided in the microphone, finally merging into a strange yet harmonious resonance.

Down in the audience, Chu Hua's smile froze completely.

Looking at Nanami Natsuki on the stage, who was tightly holding the lamp and whose eyes were only on that girl, she felt a sudden darkness before her eyes.

"broken......"

Her lips trembled as she let out a desperate cry:

"I...I've become nothing more than a tool to help Xiaoyue win over Gaosong Deng!!"

............

The stage lights seemed a bit glaring at that moment, but for Nanami Natsuki, it was just part of her daily "show."

She held Takamatsu's hand tightly, the warmth of his palm passing through her thin skin, a sensation that evoked a feeling of "satisfaction" within her.

Of course, this wasn't because she actually had any improper thoughts about Takamatsu Akari; it was simply because... she felt the fiery gaze of a certain blonde girl in the audience.

"Hehe, Sister Chuhua must be furious right now, right?"

While listening to the somewhat flustered but barely audible accompaniment from Riki and the others, Natsuki secretly rejoiced in her heart.

She knew, of course, that all of this was Chu Hua's doing; in fact, it could be said that it was the result of her tacit approval and even indulgence.

why?

Only when Gao Songdeng is driven to the brink of despair will this stubborn "stone" truly crack open, revealing its vibrant, even somewhat insane, inner self.

and......

"Come on, Little Lamp, don't let me down."

Natsuki turned her head to look at the girl beside her, who was still trembling, but whose eyes were gradually turning from fear into a kind of morbid fanaticism.

"Show everyone your true 'face'."

The music reached its climax.

What was supposed to be a solo performance by the lead singer has now turned into a duet.

Nanami Natsuki's guitar playing became frenzied. Although her voice was not as skillful as that of a professional singer, it had a playful and ethereal quality.

Influenced by her, Takamatsu Akira finally stopped suppressing herself.

"Aaaaaahh ...

A roar erupted from that small, thin body.

That wasn't singing; it was the scream of the soul, a catharsis for all injustice, all oppression, and all pain.