Momoi Taro wants to form a "don" brother duo, but it's a music anime.

Just a few steps away from the pile of clutter, the top layer of things wobbled slightly without warning. Then, the topmost square, box-shaped object rolled down with a "click... clatter..." and finally came to rest at Xiangzi's feet, perfectly straight, as if drawn by an invisible thread.

Xiangzi's heart tightened inexplicably. As if possessed, she bent down, her cold fingertips touching the rough surface of the box. She picked it up, feeling its familiar weight and texture…

Over the past few months, she'd handled thousands of these items. Almost by instinct, she flipped the box over, exposing the printed side to the dim light. Her gaze focused on the familiar logo, and she subconsciously, almost silently, uttered: "White...Bear...Express?"

Xiangzi's eyes widened slightly, and he casually took out a few more from the mountain of boxes: "White Bear Express... this is also White Bear Express, and this one too."

"Xiao Xiang?" Chu Hua's voice came from behind Xiangzi without warning, right next to him!

Xiangzi's body stiffened slightly, then she calmly turned around and chuckled, "You're back? Chuhua, you really bought a lot of packages?" She calmly put the packages back. But beneath this calmness, there was a hint of unease.

"Hmm... Sumi might be heading into the entertainment industry soon, so there are a lot of entertainment props around here." Chu Hua smiled, without any overreaction, and then took out the things she was holding.

It was an ordinary dress and skirt. Chu Hua smiled and said, "Xiao Xiang's figure should be about the same as mine. This is a prop for acting practice. I haven't had a chance to wear it yet. Xiao Xiang, take it and take a shower first. It's not good to be all sticky like this."

"Thank you, Chuhua." Xiangzi said gratefully, putting aside what he had just witnessed, and took the clothes from Chuhua's hands. After Chuhua pointed out the way to the bathroom, he walked towards it.

Chu Hua watched Xiangzi enter the bathroom, looked at the mountain of packages, and sighed, "This is going to be a headache. I hope Xiangzi won't suspect me because of this..."

At the same time, on the other side

“Here, the world…”

The old customs loudspeaker was playing a popular tune.

"Your surname is really rare. Isn't it the same as that surname of someone from that really popular idol group? It's really quite unusual." The elderly staff member with a white beard muttered to the young girl in front of the registration desk, holding a form.

"Yes, people have been saying that for a long time."

A blonde girl wearing a white baseball cap, a black T-shirt, and khaki culottes stood at the customs check-in counter, looking down at her phone. When she heard the old man's words, she looked up, gave a calm smile, and politely replied before looking down at the entertainment news on her phone again.

The news on the phone read, "sumimi's lead singer is secretly searching for a bassist and drummer; sumimi's third and fourth members are about to appear; sumimi may reunite as the teen idol band Pastel*Palettes."

“Bess…” the girl murmured, but the old man, completely oblivious to her reaction, continued:

"Lately, I can hear their music everywhere. Sigh, it's still a bit hard for older people to appreciate. As for me... I still prefer Miracle Crimson... Do you know Miracle Crimson?"

"Hmm, I've heard of it a little." The girl smiled, put her phone back in her skirt pocket, her deep purple eyes as calm as a deep purple pool.

"Right... I can't quite appreciate the music lately... Oh, by the way, what's your name again? You're getting old..." The old man scratched his head in confusion, then clasped his hands together and pleaded, "Please, young lady, say it again, just once."

"Okay, no problem." The girl readily agreed, her deep purple eyes lowered as she looked at the registration form, calmly reading out her name: "Triangle..."

"My name is, Triangle... Hatsune Miku..."

Episode 41, Dong Dog Sisters, Full Power Attack (Part 1)

As Aine and Takamatsu Akari, who had just met with Bochi, were about to say goodbye and go home, Takamatsu Akari's phone suddenly rang.

Takamatsu Akari picked up her phone and glanced at it; it was a call from Riki. She subconsciously glanced at Aine, who, seeing Akari's gaze fixed on her, blinked in confusion at first, then noticed the subtle embarrassment on Akari's face and immediately understood. She quickly composed herself and waved happily at Akari, saying:

"Well, Takamatsu, I'll be going now. See you tomorrow." Aine, smiling, turned to leave, but as she lifted her foot to go, her hand was gently pulled back by Takamatsu. She turned back in surprise to look at Takamatsu, who shook her head slightly and whispered to Aine:

“Xiao Ai…Xiao Lixi, she usually doesn’t come to me when something happens.” Her voice was weak but confident, though the source of her confidence was a little strange, but Ai could subtly understand what she meant. She continued:

"So... Xiao Lixi came to me because she must have encountered something she can't do... It must be something very difficult. So... Xiao Ai, please help me."

Hearing Takamatsu Akari say this, and truly noticing the unease deep in her eyes, Aine couldn't help but sigh softly. Seeing Akari's expression, her own delicate concern was gently touched, and she then forced a warm, helpless yet indulgent smile in response:

"Since Dengdeng puts it that way, I'll try my best. But I can't guarantee what I can do."

"Yes! Ai will definitely be fine!" The unease in Takamatsu's eyes subsided slightly. As long as either Aine or Momoi Taro was there, her courage would not be completely extinguished. This sense of reliance made her feel a little more at ease, so she no longer hesitated and reached out to pick up her phone to answer the call.

Where did Dengdeng's inexplicable trust in her come from? Ai Yin's face flushed slightly, but it quickly faded.

As soon as the call connected, Li Xi's anxious voice came through the receiver: "Deng! Why did it take you so long to answer the phone? Is something wrong?"

"Um...no." Gao Songdeng subconsciously shook her head slightly, trying to express denial with this gesture, but immediately realized that Li Xi on the other end of the phone couldn't see it, so she hurriedly added. She pursed her lips, seemingly organizing her thoughts, and after a pause, she mustered up the courage to continue asking, "Why...did you call me?"

“Just now… Xiangzi said some strange things to us…” Li Xi hesitated for a moment after hearing Gao Songdeng’s question, but decided to tell him the truth. Her voice carried an indescribable heaviness, as if the matter was far more serious than usual: “This matter really needs to be resolved by the entire band together. Deng, are you free later? You can come over…”

At this point, Lixi's words abruptly stopped, as if she were caught in some invisible thought. A brief silence fell on the other end of the phone, followed by a very soft, almost imperceptible sigh, seemingly from a great distance. Then came a muffled whisper, as if someone were speaking softly beside her. After this subtle pause, Lixi readjusted her tone and continued:

"Could you come to Su Shi's house? I'll send you the address via Line... That's all for now...!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Xi seemed eager to end the call, but Gao Songdeng's voice rang out just in time, carrying a hint of barely perceptible tension and determination: "Wait a moment... I want to take Xiao Ai over there, is that alright?"

"Huh?" Interrupted by Takamatsu's sudden request, Riki's thoughts froze for a moment, unable to immediately recall who "Xiao Ai" was referring to. She frowned, searching her memory for a while before finally managing to remember the pink-haired girl—

An outsider with absolutely no connection to her band. This made her tone clearly hesitant: "This is an internal matter for our band... Is it really appropriate to involve an outsider?"

"Yes! Xiao Ai, she's very reliable!" Gao Songdeng's eyes suddenly lit up, like a lake reflecting starlight, full of pure longing. She nodded vigorously, as if trying to convey this trust through the phone: "She will definitely become our strength."

A long silence fell on the other end of the phone, broken only by faint static. Li Xi's fingers tightened unconsciously around the phone, a silent objection rising in her throat, which ultimately turned into a barely audible sigh.

After a long pause, she managed to squeeze out a reply in a dry and strained voice: "...Su Shi said she's fine. Deng, just bring Ai Yin over." Before she could finish speaking, she hurriedly hung up the phone, as if speaking for even a second longer would reveal the complex emotions churning within her.

Oh my god! My penguin has been kidnapped by a pink-haired guy! Family, what should I do?

"Reliable and all that..." Ai Yin blushed, it was the first time in her life she had heard someone praise her like that. She shyly scolded in a sweet, coquettish voice, "That's too much of an exaggeration!"

"Hmm...no." Takamatsu Akari shook her head firmly and said in a low voice, "As for Ai...there will definitely be no problem!"

"Haha..." Aine laughed awkwardly. Although she didn't know where Takamatsu Akari's inexplicable confidence in her came from, since Akari had said that... Aine's eyes hardened: "Then, I will try my best...!"

"Okay!" Gao Songdeng nodded happily, looked at the address sent by Lixi on her phone, and took Aine's hand to Su Shi's house.

-------------------------------------

"Wow, this is such a big house..." Ai Yin looked Su Shi's room up and down like a country bumpkin. You can't blame Ai Yin for being naive, it's just that Su Shi's room was too big.

Su Shi made a few cups of tea in the kitchen and came out with a tray. Seeing Aine's curiosity about everything, she couldn't help but sigh slightly.

On the other side, Li Xi and Gao Songdeng sat somewhat awkwardly on the sofa. Gao Songdeng was writing and drawing in his notebook with his head down, while Li Xi sat upright and looked straight ahead.

"It's black tea, though it's only 20 points." Su Shi smiled as she distributed the tea to the two people, placed one on the empty table, and then put another in front of herself.

Hearing Suze say that, Aine turned her head curiously, tilting her head slightly upward as she thought, and said softly, "This is... Taro's evaluation."

"Yes, that's Mr. Momoi's evaluation." Suze smiled, seemingly unconcerned about the seemingly low evaluation. Upon hearing this, Aine slowly walked over, comforting her as she did so: "That's because Taro's standards have always been very high."

"I understand that. Ai-yin said she would help solve it, so why don't you sit down and listen to us?" Su Shi sighed almost imperceptibly, then put on that smiling face again.

Once a mask is on, it's hard to take it off. Su Shi seemed to have heard a legend that if you wear a mask for too long, it will become your real face. Fortunately, Su Shi now has a place where she can take off the mask, so…

No matter the cost, she would protect this family. Su Shi's eyes flashed with determination, then quickly returned to their usual intensity, a look that went unseen by anyone.

"Yes~" Ai Yin said softly, drawing out the word. She was about to walk to the seat that Su Shi had prepared for her, but as she moved, her attention was drawn to something.

It was a very ornate-looking fairy tale book. It had no cover… As for why it's called a fairy tale book, the reason is quite simple: its cover has a very fairy tale style.

Seeing that Aine had stopped, and noticing where she had stopped, Su Shi thought for a moment and, seeing where she had stopped and her curious expression, knew what she had seen.

So she stood up, walked over to the other person, picked up the book the other person was looking at, and asked Aine with a smile in a soft voice, "Are you curious?"

"Ah~ just a little bit." Ai Yin smiled slightly, scratching the back of her head with a hint of embarrassment. Su Shi didn't mind and opened the book directly. The fairytale-like scenes inside came to life, vivid and lifelike. It looked very elegant and exquisite.

The two people sitting on the sofa, seemingly engrossed in everything Su Shi was showing them, were also looking at the open book. Meanwhile, Aine, sitting nearby, was drawn to a panel in the lower left corner, which appeared to depict a father and daughter playing together.

Noticing Aine's gaze, Sose chuckled and pulled the rope on the other side. The photos began to play like a slideshow until they stopped at one frame. It was a group photo of five girls, five girls that Chihaya Aine knew well... five people who had once suffered so much.

Su Shi, who had stopped at just the right moment, secretly breathed a sigh of relief. She couldn't possibly continue flipping through the pages. The reason was quite simple: the next page contained a photo she had secretly taken of Momoi Taro "dying."

Fortunately, I look through this unique photo album almost every night, a dozen or twenty times, otherwise I might have made a mistake.

Seeing Ai Yin drawn to the group photo of the five of them, Su Shi smiled and explained, "This is the only and last group photo we've ever taken together." She slowly picked up the book and walked towards the sofa.

Ai Yin calmly followed and sat in the seat that Su Shi had prepared for her. When Su Shi saw that she had sat down, she and Li Xi exchanged a glance.

After that, she began to recount everything she knew about what had happened at Kulai Xiku and in the restaurant, even though everyone there except Aine was a former member of Kulai Xiku. Su Shi, who had been listening in on the phone with Li Xi and Deng the whole time, felt it was necessary to explain everything thoroughly.

After all, Aine was invited by Takamatsu Akari to help, so she couldn't let the other person help with only a half-understood situation. After she painstakingly explained the whole matter, the atmosphere in the room became silent.

Finally, it was Aine who broke the silence in the room first. She stroked her chin thoughtfully and said softly, "But... Toyokawa-san at school doesn't seem to be like that."

Aine still finds it somewhat hard to believe, after all, the Toyokawa Shoko that Nagasaki Motoyo described is completely different from the Toyokawa Shoko she saw at school.

"May I ask what Xiangzi is like at Aiyin's school?" Clearly, what Aiyin said had piqued Su Shi's curiosity, and she couldn't help but ask.

Although Su Shi knew that Xiangzi had transferred schools, she didn't know much about what Xiangzi was like at school. When Ai Yin brought it up, she naturally didn't want to miss it, thinking there might be some clues about how Xiangzi had changed.

"Her classmates all say she's usually very aloof and doesn't greet people much," Aine said, tilting her head and nodding her chin thoughtfully. "But that's quite different from the Toyokawa I know..."

"My friend Toyokawa greeted me that day and seemed very kind and warm."

Lixi and Su Shi exchanged a glance, looking at each other in bewilderment. Was the Toyokawa Shoko that Aine mentioned the same Shoko they had just seen at the restaurant? No, it seemed that the Shoko they knew before was just like this. In other words, did Shoko's change only begin recently?

Just as they were speculating, Gao Songdeng's small but firm voice gave them a completely different answer: "No... the Xiao Xiang I know... the Xiao Xiang at school has always been... very indifferent."

She recalled Xiangzi from school, who always ignored her. After meeting Taro, even if she occasionally mustered up the courage to greet him, Xiangzi would act as if she hadn't heard or seen her and walk past her.

It felt as if I were just a wisp of air.

"Ha!" Li Xi immediately reacted, standing up excitedly and shouting with extreme dissatisfaction, "That Xiangzi guy, since he's like this with the lamp!! We absolutely can't let him get away with this!"

"Little Lixi!" Su Shi quickly stopped her. Lixi was very responsible and technically skilled, but her personality was a real headache for Su Shi. She was too quick to escalate conflicts. Hearing Su Shi's coquettish tone, Lixi seemed to realize something and turned her head away.

"I'm sorry, Ai-yin," Su Shi said with a smile, explaining to Ai-yin, "Our drummer has a rather short temper, so I apologize on her behalf."

Rikki snorted and turned her head away, no longer looking in Aine's direction. Aine, however, could see a faint blush on the girl's face. She smiled and waved her hand, saying, "It's nothing~ I believe we'll become great friends, right, Rikki?"

"Huh?" All that answered her was Lixi's confusion and doubt.

Episode 41, Dong Dog Sisters, Full Power Attack (Part 2)

“But… it still feels a bit unbelievable.” Su Shi rested her chin on her hand, her fingertips unconsciously rubbing the rim of her teacup as she pondered with her head down: “From what you’ve said, it seems that Xiangzi in the school has three faces.”

"What's so incredible about that?" Li Xi crossed her arms, a mocking smile playing on her lips, and retorted dismissively, "Don't you also have several different faces?" She deliberately emphasized her words, a small act of revenge for Su Shi's earlier remarks.

Li Xi's words made Su Shi's face darken. Her fingers tightened slightly, and her knuckles turned slightly white. However, she still calmly retorted, "There aren't many different faces. If I had to say, there are only two."

"Hmm, Su Shi is really amazing," Aine chuckled softly, praising her. Su Shi returned the compliment with a gentle expression, habitually using this facade to speak softly to Aine, "Aine, please don't tease me like that."

"No—" Aine shook her head seriously and said sincerely, "I'm serious. It's really amazing to be able to show your true self so honestly... Compared to that, I probably still can't do it right now." As she spoke, her eyes held a hint of envy, and she looked away slightly, a little embarrassed.

Su Shi covered her mouth and chuckled: "If that's the case, then Xiao Deng is the most powerful one, right?"

"Eh...!?" Takamatsu Akari was startled by Su Shi's words. A little flustered, she stammered, "Did I... do something strange again?"

"No..." Su Shi lowered her head, seemingly lost in memories. She said softly, "I just think that lyrics like Xiao Deng's, which reveal one's inner thoughts, are really amazing."