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

The audience was stunned.

They originally thought it was just an ordinary variety show, but they never expected to see such... such an exciting scene?

What is this? Performance art? Or is this what's known as "Mujica style"?

Regardless, this performance, full of tension and a sense of fragmentation, is truly captivating.

Amidst this clamor, only a few people truly understood what this scene meant.

As Li hope mechanically pressed the keyboard, she secretly glanced at the two people in front of her out of the corner of her eye, her heart filled with mixed feelings.

"That bastard Nanami... he actually actually did it?!"

Although she already knew that Nanami was... well, a very loving person, seeing her openly holding hands with other girls on stage still made her feel uncomfortable.

but......

Seeing Akari's completely uninhibited state, Riki had to admit that perhaps only a crazy person like Nanami Natsuki, who doesn't play by the rules, could truly "save" Takamatsu Akari.

As for Yutenji Wakanagi on the drummer's seat, he was already covered in sweat.

"It's all over...it's really all over..."

She was following Chu Hua's instructions to cause trouble! And what happened? Not only did she not embarrass Gao Songdeng, but it seems she actually... helped him out?

If Chu Hua finds out, will I still have a chance to survive?

"Waaaaah... It's so hard to be a bad guy!"

Chapter 145 Step onto the Path to Humanity, Chu Hua (8000 words)

After a performance, the backstage area of ​​a live house is always filled with a mixture of sweat, hairspray, and some indescribable heat. That is the embers of "frenzy," the lingering echoes left after countless notes struck the walls.

But for Takamatsu, the feeling was more like that of a drowning person just pulled ashore. The burning sensation from the scream still lingered in his lungs, and the hum of electricity still echoed in his eardrums, yet the world suddenly became eerily quiet.

"Let's go, light."

Nanami Natsuki's voice pierced through the barrier and came in clearly. Instead of carrying the heavy guitar as usual, she simply adjusted the position of the guitar case in her hand and took the somewhat messy equipment bag from Akari's hand with her other hand very naturally.

"Eh? Um... I'll take it myself..." Deng subconsciously tried to pull her hand back, her fingers making a grasping motion in the air.

"You used so much force on stage just now, you must be having a hard time even unscrewing a water bottle cap now, right?"

Natsuki didn't turn around, but said in an unquestionable yet slightly mocking tone, "As the 'accomplice' who pushed you onto the stage, ensuring your safe return home is also part of my after-sales service~"

Lamp opened her mouth, but in the end, she didn't say anything. She just obediently followed behind Natsuki.

Pushing open the heavy soundproof door of the live house, the evening breeze instantly filled my sleeves. It wasn't a biting cold wind, but rather a night breeze unique to the city, a mixture of dust and the warmth of neon lights.

The two walked side by side on the road leading to the station.

For the first part of the journey, no one spoke.

The streetlights on both sides of the street cast long shadows of the two people, sometimes overlapping and sometimes separating.

Deng lowered her head, her gaze fixed on the tips of her shoes, each step as if confirming the very existence of the ground. For a fleeting moment on the stage, she felt as if she had defied gravity, floating in a vacuum created only by sound.

Now, gravity has recaptured her, leaving her feeling dizzy and exhausted.

Natsuki walked on the outside, her pace neither hurried nor slow, maintaining a position where the spotlight could easily catch a glimpse of her profile if the person looked up slightly. She didn't urge anyone on, nor did she use any inflammatory words to incite anyone as she had on stage. She simply walked quietly, as if the person who had been so flamboyant under the spotlight and handed the microphone back to the light-up hostage had never been her.

This silence wasn't awkward; rather, it was like a sponge, slowly absorbing the unease that had just cooled down in the lamplight.

"that……"

Finally, as he passed a vending machine whose malfunction indicator light was still flashing, the light stopped.

Her voice was very soft, like smoke that would dissipate in the night breeze. But Natsuki stopped immediately, turned around, and her eyes, still bright in the night, quietly watched her.

"What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?" Natsuki's tone was completely free of impatience.

"No, no..." Deng shook her head, her hands gripping the hem of her skirt tightly, her knuckles turning slightly white from the force. She took a deep breath, as if drawing courage from the air, "Did I... really sing it just now?"

This is a very strange question.

Just a few dozen minutes ago, her voice bombarded the entire venue through the high-powered speakers, even freezing the expression on Chu Hua's face below. But now, she was wondering if any of that had actually happened.

Of course, only Nanami Natsuki knew Chu Hua's reaction, after all, the annoying emotion point acquisition notifications had already given her a headache.

"That voice... was it really mine?" Deng looked up, her eyes filled with a vulnerability tinged with confusion. "So loud, so... willful. To throw everything in your heart at someone else without a second thought... is that really okay?"

She had always been like a pill bug hiding under a rock, afraid of being watched, afraid that her voice would hurt others, and even more afraid that her "weirdness" of not fitting in would drive away the people around her.

But today, under Natsuki's gaze, the moment that microphone was handed to her, she felt something inside her shatter, and then something burst out.

That feeling was both exhilarating and terrifying.

Natsuki looked at the slightly trembling girl in front of her, and a very gentle smile appeared on her lips.

She didn't rush to answer, but instead put down her violin case and leaned against the railing. Then, she took a step closer, shortening the distance between them.

"Tama, who do you think everyone was looking at when we were on stage just now?" Natsuki asked softly.

"Huh? Look... look at the band..."

“No, they were looking at you.” Natsuki reached out and gently tapped her index finger on the lamp’s chest. “At that moment, everyone’s eyes, including mine, including that stiff-faced Hatsuka in the audience, were looking at you—oh right, you probably couldn’t see her reaction, since there were just too many people in the audience.”

"But it's not because you did well or badly, it's because you were 'shouting'."

“Shout…” the lamp repeated the word.

"That's right. Humans are creatures that always wear all sorts of masks, say things they don't mean, and are careful to maintain the so-called 'atmosphere'."

A fleeting, almost imperceptible glint of coldness flashed in Natsuki's eyes, but it vanished in an instant, replaced by an almost bewitching tenderness. "But you are different. In that moment, you shed all pretense and showed everyone your raw, most authentic self."

"But... wouldn't that be strange?" Deng's voice trembled. "Everyone was playing properly, but I... I was the only one who suddenly screamed..."

“That wasn’t a scream, that was the sound of ‘being alive’.”

Natsuki's voice suddenly became firm, and she even reached out and gently grasped Akari's cold hands.

“Light, remember this. In this world full of noise and distractions, only the purest lament can penetrate the heart. What you just did was not to ruin the performance, but to give this song a true soul.”

Natsuki's hands were warm, a stark contrast to Touka's icy hands. The warmth traveled through her palms, gradually calming Touka's previously panicked heartbeat.

“And…” Natsuki leaned closer, as if to share a secret, “I really like it.”

"Huh?" The lamp froze, its eyes widening slightly.

“I really liked that Akari who was shouting her heart out on stage.” Natsuki looked directly into Akari’s eyes without flinching. “At that time, you were more radiant than ever. Not as Akari, the child who always got lost, but as Akari, the ‘lead singer’.”

Deng felt her cheeks burning. She wasn't used to being so bluntly affirmed, especially when she herself felt she had messed up.

“But…Chu Hua…” Deng thought of that stiff smile on the stage, and felt another wave of unease.

"Don't worry about her." Natsuki waved her hand dismissively, as if Hatsuka's reaction was insignificant. "She's just feeling resentful for a moment."

"And you and I both know that you can't stay in this band you're not familiar with forever. You still can't let go of Su Shi and the others, right?"

Otherwise, the lyrics you just improvised wouldn't have had such a strong sense of direction.

"..."

Natsuki picked up her violin bag again, but didn't let go of the lantern's hand with her other hand. Instead, she guided the lantern forward.

"Let's go, or our family will worry."

The lamp was passively led along, looking down at the two clasped hands.

"Natsuki-chan..."

"Ok?"

"Thank you..." The voice of the lamp was very soft, almost inaudible among the footsteps, "If Natsuki-chan hadn't handed me the microphone... I might have always been hiding in the back."

“That won’t do.” Natsuki looked straight ahead, her tone casual yet unwavering. “I’m standing here just to hear you sing. If you don’t sing, wouldn’t all of this have been for nothing?”

"...Was it for me?"

“Of course it’s for you. Or rather, for us.” Natsuki paused, seemingly choosing her words carefully. “So that those things in our hearts that we can’t tell others can find a resonance in this world. Your voice is that outlet, the light. You don’t need to become slick or conformist. You just need to be yourself, just need to shout out all the pain, confusion, and longing in your heart.”

You should say the right thing to the right person. Takamatsu Akari is someone who can't refuse complete resonance, and Nanami Natsuki, who said these words... no matter what she was really thinking, at least she was satisfied with today's result.

Xiaodeng is a very boring person, but at the same time, he is also a very interesting person.

What's interesting about her is that although her heart is churning with turmoil, no one can detect it, while she can easily unlock the lock in the other person's heart. This feeling makes Nanami Natsuki, who always has a strong sense of wickedness, extremely excited.

“As for the rest…” Natsuki turned around, revealing that signature smile that was both reassuring and subtly dangerous, “I’ll block out the remaining noise for you. I’ll handle anyone who tries to interrupt your singing.”

As she watched Natsuki's retreating figure, a warm feeling welled up inside her.

She didn't know what Natsuki meant by "dealing with," nor did she know how much scheming and maneuvering towards others—like Hatsuka and Shoko—was hidden behind those determined eyes.

At this moment, all she knew was that in this vast Tokyo, on this very night, a hand was holding her tightly, telling her, "You can shout."

that's enough.

For Takamatsu Akari, who always gets lost, this hand is currently her only signpost.

For the latter half of the journey, their conversation became slightly lighter. Natsuki stopped talking about heavy topics and started complaining about the terrible instant coffee backstage at the Live House, and the embarrassing incident where a certain expressionless bassist almost stepped on the line. Akari occasionally chimed in, and although she mostly listened, her tense shoulders had completely relaxed.

Before we knew it, we had arrived at the alley entrance near the Deng family's house.

"I'll leave it here." Natsuki stopped and handed the equipment bag back to Akari.

"Um... thank you, Natsuki-chan." Akari took the bag, the weight returning to her shoulders, but she felt much lighter than before.

"Go back and get some rest, and remember to drink some warm water to protect your throat," Natsuki instructed. "Your voice might be a little hoarse tomorrow, but that's your badge of honor, don't worry about it."

“Okay…” Deng nodded, took two steps, and then suddenly turned back.

Under the streetlights, Nanami Natsuki still stood there, her hands in the pockets of her trench coat. Her figure appeared somewhat slender in the night, yet exceptionally upright.

"Natsuki-chan!" Akari suddenly shouted.

"Ok?"

"Next time...next time I will definitely...sing it out too!" Deng shouted with courage, "Sing out the voice in your heart too!"

Natsuki paused, seemingly surprised by Akari's words. Then, she laughed. It wasn't her usual polite, socially polite laugh, nor was it a shrewd, calculating laugh; it was a genuine, even slightly surprised, smile.

"Okay." She waved her hand. "I'll be waiting."

However, it's best not to, because the thoughts in that perverted woman's mind... are not things that can be casually said in public.

As the lamp disappeared around the corner from the front door, Natsuki's smile gradually faded.

She turned around and walked back alone. The night breeze seemed a bit cooler than before. She took out her phone from her pocket; the screen showed several unread messages, including a questioning message from Chu Hua and an ambiguous probe from Xiang Zi.