Mygo, you guys seem to be getting a bit heavy-hearted.

Therefore, identity and such are not very important at this time.

But similar, though different, scenarios are quietly unfolding elsewhere.

……

"excuse me……"

"No, light... I'm sorry to trouble you to come see me so late." Shiina Riki looked at the light behind the door, then opened it and pulled the door open completely.

Then Su Shi's face was revealed next to her.

"Why are you here?"

Su Shi: “…”

She was standing right next to the lamp the whole time. Why didn't anyone see her? It's hard to say what the reason was.

"It was Suze-chan who first said... she wanted to come visit you, and she even brought... snacks." Akari held up the basket in her hand. "We... made them together this afternoon."

Su Shi completed most of the procedures by herself; Deng only did some demolding and other tasks.

"This... thank you." Lixi took the basket and sincerely thanked Su Shi. "You... seem to have really changed."

Even Lixi had to admit that after that day, the distance between Su Shi and them seemed to have truly narrowed. She was no longer the Nagasaki Su Shi who only cared about 'crychic', but began to try to treat them as friends.

Little Lamp should be very happy about this change.

"Come in, but I don't have much to offer you." Lixi stepped aside and found some guest slippers for the two of them. "There are other people in the house, so you'll have to stay in my room."

She was reluctant to let her family know that she was running a band, because that would definitely lead to comparisons with her sister.

"Are you feeling any better?" Su Shi asked, her brows furrowing with worry as she looked at Li Xi, who was only wearing pajamas and appeared rather thin.

"The doctor said it was just a fainting spell caused by staying up late. I'm not really sick, and I'll be almost fully recovered after a couple of days of rest. The next practice session will be scheduled soon, and I'll let you know via Line."

Su Shi pressed his temples and sighed, "You... no, the band thing has to be put on hold for now."

"Not just sisters, we've all..."

"It's been almost a week since you last practiced, hasn't it? So what! Look at the state you've become!" Su Shisha's tone was filled with reproach and agitation. "You kept practicing, and then you suddenly collapsed in the practice room again without saying a word? Do you know how worried Xiaodeng was that she almost cried?"

"Hey! Su Shi!...Don't be so loud..." Li Xi instinctively reached out to cover Su Shi's mouth so as not to disturb her older sister, Zhen Xi, who was resting at home.

Until she realized what Su Shi had said, her outstretched hand froze in mid-air.

Is Xiaodeng crying?

"I absolutely will not allow... you to do something that hurts yourself like this, so, take a proper rest for a while. Do you understand?" Su Shi stared wide-eyed. What was supposed to be a friendly visit between band members had turned into something like a widow coming to seek revenge.

Lantern pulled the excited Su Shi aside: "Su Shi-chan..."

Su Shi let out a long sigh and gently patted the back of her hand: "I know... and Xiao Lixi too, don't make us worry anymore. The band can't do without you, but Xiao Deng can't do without you even more than the band... think about it carefully yourself."

Li Xi was silent.

She never expected that Nagasaki Motoyo, with whom she often argued, would care so much about her health.

And Little Lamp... after she collapsed... she must have cried secretly by herself.

My irresponsible behavior was absolutely awful...

In silence, Lixi led the two, who had changed their shoes, to her bedroom.

Compared to Su Shi's home, her room was very small. It was only enough to accommodate two people at the same time, and with herself included, the space felt quite cramped, which made Li Xi feel inexplicably embarrassed.

"...I'll go get you some drinks." With that, Lixi ran out in a flustered manner.

Chapter 153 A Song for Lixi

Because Lixi left so quickly, Deng and Su Shi looked at each other in the room, one sitting on the chair in front of the desk and the other sitting on the bed waiting for her to come back.

"...What's this?" Su Shi noticed a piece of paper lying at her feet and, thinking it was something she needed, bent down to pick it up.

The next second, their previously casual gazes suddenly focused: "Xiao Deng, come and take a look at this."

Upon hearing this, Deng stood up and moved closer to Su Shi, seeing the contents of the paper: "...Is this sheet music composed by Li Xi? But why is it all crossed out?"

Su Shi's peripheral vision caught sight of a wastepaper basket overflowing with scraps of paper. She walked over, randomly picked a sheet, and tore it open.

Similarly, a sheet of music with severe alterations.

Unconvinced, she tore open another sheet.

As above.

“This basket is full of discarded sheet music,” Su Shi said, finally understanding why Li Xi had fainted.

Someone like me who doesn't stay up late, if I hadn't witnessed this scene with my own eyes, I probably would never have believed that there could be people in the world who would work so hard for a band.

Su Shi sighed, “This little Li Xi… really, doesn’t she care about her own health? To her, this is just a band that doesn’t even have a name.”

Akari felt the notebook warmed by her body heat in her arms, and thought of a page that read: "Taki-chan..."

"Sigh... none of them are easy to deal with." Su Shi sighed, and then began to tidy up Li Xi's messy room.

When Lixi entered with two glasses of orange juice, Su Shi had almost finished tidying up the room. After wiping the table clean with a tissue, she turned to Lixi, took the plate from her hand, and instructed her:

"Sit still and don't wander off. Just let us know if you need anything."

"I'm not sick, I'm just exhausted..."

"I'm too lazy to talk to you. Xiaodeng, it's yours now." Su Shi turned her head away and continued wiping the bookshelf next to her.

"Hmm... Taki-chan..." Lamp pulled Riki's hand and helped her sit down on the bed, then asked, "Do you still... feel uncomfortable?"

Lixi stubbornly shook her head: "My head isn't spinning anymore. The stray cat came by yesterday, and he even brought me a parfait, which I put in the fridge. Do you want some, Lamp?"

She tried to act as she always did, but a sudden wave of dizziness washed over her, as if trying to stop her from continuing.

I have definitely overexerted myself during this period, and it has even affected my studies.

...She hadn't been to school for four or five days. Only Lenai, who went to the same school as her, knew about this. Lixi had also told Wildcat not to tell anyone else.

Fortunately, it seems that Lena listened to what I said.

"I'm not eating anymore... I'm just glad Riki-chan is alright... I've been so worried about you these past few days..." Deng pressed her hand against the notebook tucked inside her clothes, her voice heavy, making Riki feel a pang of sadness.

The lantern festival turned out this way; it's all my fault.

If only I had stayed a little longer during rehearsal until the end...

"Lixi-chan, there's always been a question I've wanted to ask you... Can you answer it?"

lamp……

Lixi tried to relax her expression as much as possible, and forced a smile: "Of course, Xiaodeng."

"Lixi-chan... why do you value me so much? There's nothing about me that's worth noticing..."

this problem……

She couldn't refuse any of Tama's requests, ever since she heard Tama sing on stage once.

That kind of singing... that kind of dazzling thing, without a doubt, is the dream I'm chasing... my only hope of surpassing my sister.

In the lamp, Lixi can see everything she wants. For this reason, she is willing to do a lot for the lamp, let alone simple actions like caring for and loving the other person.

In Shiina Tatsuki's mind, Takamatsu Akari was no longer just a bandmate, but a guiding star... Akari just hadn't realized it yet.

The lost star, her singing has influenced many people, and Shiina Tatsuki is just one of the earliest among them.

It wasn't that Li Xi valued Deng; for Li Xi, the mere fact that Deng was willing to let her care about her was enough to give her immense comfort.

"...I really like the lyrics written by Deng. Those vivid words are just as special and outstanding as you."

Although Lixi knew that neither "Spring Shadow" nor "Shiori" had anything to do with her, she was just a lonely person who stared at the back of the lamp, and all she did was use the light emanating from the lamp to illuminate herself.

The phrase "I want the lamp to write a song for me" had been stuck in my throat for too long, corroded and distorted by my inferiority complex, turning into heartfelt exclamations from an outsider.

She wanted to speak but held back, wanted to speak but held back... In the end, she couldn't even pursue him, becoming a slave to her inferiority complex, only fit to live in darkness for the rest of her life, barely surviving her miserable life by the faint starlight that peeked through her.

"Does Lixi like the lyrics I write?"

"Mmm." Li Xi gazed tenderly at the trembling eyelashes of the lamp and nodded heavily.

Under her gaze, Deng took a familiar notebook from her chest and placed it in front of her. Then, Deng lowered her head and said in a trembling, delicate voice:

“I’ve written a new song… it’s for Lixi… I’ve already thought of a name for it, it’s called ‘Walking with the Blue Sky’…”

The author has been working on this song for some time, constantly revising and revising it, but it just just doesn't feel right.

She wrote ordinary words, not the Li Xi-chan who was always willing to be with her.

The song she presented today, "Walking with the Blue Sky," is still an unfinished half-finished product, missing a crucial element that she just can't figure out.

Since... this song was written for Lixi, maybe Lixi will know what's missing? — That's what Deng thought, so he brought the notebook over, intending to show it to Lixi.

But after seeing the basket of discarded manuscripts in Lixi's room, she changed her mind.

"It's a lamp... written for me?" Li Xi's hands trembled slightly, her lips quivered, and her expression suddenly became very excited.

Deng nodded, but then immediately shook her head: "It is indeed written for Riki-chan, but... I can't give it to you right now, I'm sorry."

She was decisive and resolute; after informing Lixi about the lyrics, she put the notebook back on her person.

Chapter 154 The Confession of a Remnant of the C Group

"Why... Little Lamp?" Li Xi was stunned.

"I won't... give you these imperfect lyrics until Lixi-chan gets better... because we're going to finish it together... our 'Walking with the Blue Sky'..."

Before Lixi could touch the notebook, Deng grabbed her hands tightly.

“Lixi has already tried her best. Even if she needs to rest for a while, that's perfectly acceptable... So please don't make me worry like this anymore…”

Humans are inherently susceptible to injury, yet even so, Lixi still works incredibly hard every day, even at the cost of pushing her body to its limits...

The lamp felt sorry for Lixi.

Lixi couldn't stand the way Deng was looking at her, so she hurriedly tried to pull her hand away: "No, Deng, I'm the kind of person..."

A mediocre person like her, lacking ability, will achieve nothing if she doesn't try.

It wasn't that she chose to work hard; rather, compared to a genius like Xiangzi, hard work was the only struggle she could muster for herself.

Besides that, she can't do anything and has no way to do anything.

“[Boku no ka]...?” Lamp swallowed hard, closed her eyes for two or three seconds, then opened them again, staring intently into those violet eyes. “Ritsuki is not [someone like me], I will definitely... prove it to you.”

Lixi is an important member of their band, a friend she cherishes, and the most persevering person she has ever met...

This Riki-chan, however, uttered words like "someone like me"... just like the lamp from before.

She neither approves nor agrees.

Since we agreed to move forward together even when we're lost, since we've already gotten through that rainy day, and since this sky is such a dazzling blue...

Then

With no reason left to be dejected, shouldn't we hold our heads high and stride forward?

……

"Little Lamp, we're almost at our stop." Su Shi patted the lamp, who was lost in thought, and reminded it, "Let's go... I'll take you home."

"Sushi-chan..."

Su Shi felt the warmth against her side and said gently, "I'm listening, what's wrong?"

"How do Su Shi see Li Xi and me?"

Su Shi was taken aback, meeting Deng's amber-like, light-colored pupils. After hesitating, she calmed her voice and asked, "Little Deng, do you want to hear my true thoughts?"

Lamp nodded: "Yes...because Soyo definitely understands everyone better than I do."

Although they were the same age, Su Shi seemed much more mature and composed, always taking care of them like an older sister.

Despite having some minor flaws in private, it doesn't change the fact that Su Shi is a gentle person.

Even after learning of her disguise, Lamp still instinctively relied on this companion who had taken care of him since their previous band.

“To be honest…” Unlike others, for Su Shi, a liar who lies all the time, expressing his true thoughts is a luxury. “Maybe it will be very different from what Xiao Deng thinks.”

“It’s okay. I love Suze... and everyone else, so no matter how Suze-chan sees me, we’ll be best friends for life.”