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

The mask had been worn for so long that a small part of it had grown flesh and blood, merging with the girl and sharing the same name.

This concern from "Nagasaki Motoyo" is absolutely genuine at this moment.

"Su Shi has changed too... I thought she would stay stubborn forever."

“People change. Maybe it’s because of compromise, or maybe it’s because they’ve found new meaning.” Yanming replied casually, taking Le Nai out of Xiangzi’s arms. “I’ll take Le Nai home. It’s a rare opportunity, so you two should chat more.”

"Hmm..." Xiangzi nodded.

……

It was too late, so Yanming didn't ride his motorcycle but instead took Le Nai home in his car.

"Yanming".

Yanming responded while driving, "Mm."

"Lixi is very good to me. She often buys me matcha parfaits. She's a good person."

Yanming knew that Rakuna hadn't fully explained Shiina Ritsuki's situation when Shoko was present. As for why she did it, she must have her own reasons.

The reason I'm bringing this up now is that I plan to tell Yanming this privately.

Le Nai's observational skills are no less than Yan Ming's. She can also achieve the terrifying level of insight that others consider "mind reading." Although her young age and lack of expression greatly diminish the effect, she can still discover many details that others, even Li Xi herself, cannot.

"Well, although I haven't spoken much with Shiina, I can tell from many things that she's a responsible girl. If I'm not mistaken, she probably does most of the trivial things in your band now."

When we went to the zoo together before, Shiina took the initiative to clean up the lawn that she had occupied for lunch. This shows that she is not only responsible but also quite meticulous, which is quite different from her seemingly unapproachable demeanor.

However, unlike Sono, Shiina probably doesn't have such deep thoughts and isn't capable of creating a disguise that's completely opposite to her usual self...

"Lixi is reliable, but a bit fierce." Le Nai lay down in the back seat and then put her feet up on the cold window. "But, he doesn't seem really fierce, more like... he's afraid to face me?"

[Afraid to face it directly]

This word can be interpreted in many ways.

However, considering Shiina's situation, only one possibility remains.

“During practice, Lixi’s drum rhythm would always go off track without warning, not because she couldn’t keep up, but because she was playing too fast, which caused her body to lose coordination and her nerves to malfunction.”

"Drip." A tiny drop of water fell onto the car's windshield.

It's raining.

It was just a light rain, so there was no need to even turn on the windshield wipers.

"Yanming, Lixi is afraid to face me because my guitar puts 'pressure' on her."

Yanming instantly understood what Le Nai was trying to convey: "You mean..."

"Lixi is confused."

Le Nai didn't give a direct answer, but instead, she and Yan Ming tacitly chose to remain silent.

"Tick tick tick..."

The light rain was falling outside the window, and the few pedestrians on the road quickened their pace as they hurried toward their destinations.

Le Nai withdrew her foot from the car window, sat up straight, obediently straightened her back, and asked in a dazed tone, "Yanming, can I ask you for a favor?"

Deng might refuse Yanming's help because she doesn't want to trouble him, but Le Nai wouldn't be so formal.

She understood Yanming's kind-hearted nature even better; even if she didn't ask, Yanming wouldn't just stand by and do nothing.

"Le Nai, are you sleepy?" Yan Ming saw Le Nai's drowsy appearance in the rearview mirror.

It's perfectly normal for kids to feel sleepy after eating.

Lena rubbed her eyelids and murmured, "Hmm, a little bit."

"Let's take a nap in the car first. I'll figure out how to handle Shiina's situation."

"Yanming, aren't you sleepy?"

"I'll have plenty of time to sleep later, so I'm not sleepy yet."

"Huh...huh..."

"...She fell asleep so quickly." Yanming withdrew his gaze and continued driving along the planned route.

……

"I'm back." Yanming put away his umbrella and leaned it against the umbrella stand in the entryway.

Because it was too late when she sent it back, Ms. Tsuzuki gave her a good scolding and said that if it happened again, she shouldn't send Rana back at all.

Xiangzi had already cleared the table. She was standing blankly by the window, watching the raindrops fall outside, until Yanming opened the door. After a pause, she turned around and forced a smile, saying, "Welcome back."

Yanming understood at a glance, then took off his coat, which was damp in one corner from the rain, and casually tossed it onto the back of the sofa, asking, "Are we doing it again?"

"Um...sorry, I couldn't help myself. Thank you for your help."

"Let me take a shower first, I smell a bit."

"it is good……"

Chapter 157 has been completed.

After everything was ready, Yanming, wearing his bathrobe, sat quietly on the sofa.

The television was off, and only the sound of raindrops hitting the windowsill remained, making the living room eerily quiet.

"Da. Da. Da."

That wasn't rain, but the sound of Xiangzi's footsteps.

"Is it alright?" Xiangzi asked cautiously, suppressing the tremor in his voice.

Although it wasn't the first time, this inexplicable nervousness was no different from the first time.

I guess I really like him too much, because no matter how many times I come here, my heart keeps racing.

Yanming didn't make any move, he just gave a soft "hmm".

Since it wasn't the first time, there was no need to be nervous, but it was inevitable to feel a little wistful.

"What made you suddenly decide to do this today?" Yanming asked beforehand.

Xiangzi stretched his limbs as if to warm up, and whispered, "I talked a lot about the past with Su Shi, and I realized that I was stupid and arrogant back then. Then I felt like strangling my past self."

Yanming sighed helplessly, "Don't make me laugh..."

"How about it?" Xiangzi gestured with his chin defiantly, looking like a smug little devil. "I'll show you how I'm going to make your legs go completely numb today."

"Go easy on me, you've gained weight recently." Yanming closed his eyes resignedly.

"You're the one who's gotten fat! Mooooo—" Xiangzi yelled and pounced on Yanming.

then

She sat on his lap, then grabbed Yanming's arms and wrapped them around her chest.

"..."

"..."

"Phew—" Xiangzi let out a long, satisfying breath, closed his eyes contentedly, and listened to the pattering rain outside the window. "That feels so much better..."

From an outsider's perspective, Xiangzi now looks like he's asleep, and compared to his usual and darker side, he seems utterly pathetic.

But it is precisely this lack of ambition that reveals her true, unguarded nature.

"Yanming, you smell so good." Xiangzi closed his eyes, trying to concentrate and prolong every second. "Is it your natural scent?"

"You watch too much anime. That's my shower gel after I just took a shower and scrubbed myself twice."

"Oh."

……

After a while

"You're so hot, are you thinking about me?" Xiangzi couldn't help but open one eye, slightly raising her head to observe Yanming's face up close. "You can just tell me, okay?"

"I'm thinking about Aine, Mutsu, and Shiina."

How can we help Aiyin learn to play the guitar as quickly as possible and prevent her from being rejected during interviews due to technical issues?

Although Xiaomu has made Lena as a friend, her way of speaking still needs time to be corrected and improved.

Shiina's inexplicable sense of inferiority also needs to be addressed.

"...I'm lying in your arms right now, aren't I?"

"Oh."

“‘Oh’ is a bit too much. I was almost heartbroken…” Xiangzi said, but there was no sign of frustration on her face. She just rubbed her forehead against his collarbone with a hint of despair before closing her eyes again.

"it is good."

"...Hey, you were actually thinking about me secretly, weren't you?"

"Ah."

……

After a while

"Yanming, the moonlight is beautiful tonight."

"You can't see the moon with your eyes closed, can you? Besides, this joke is so old, I knew its meaning when I was a little kid." Yanming turned his head and glanced out the window.

There was indeed a moon there, but it was blurred by the fine rain that kept streaking across the sky, like a hairy salted duck egg.

Compared to someone else, she's not good-looking at all.

"Then...why does a crow resemble a writing desk?"

Yanming sighed: "I'm not Alice, and this joke is really old and outdated."

Why do crows resemble writing desks? It's simply because crows naturally resemble writing desks; there's no other reason.

That's a really stupid question. Only Alice, who was asked the question by the Mad Hatter, wouldn't know the answer.

"How could that be? They clearly thought about it for a long time... But you know everything, don't you?!"

"What are you saying? I don't understand."

"...Yanming."

Yanming, whose name was called, tilted his head slightly: "What?"

"You're a genius at playing dumb," Xiangzi said through gritted teeth.

Yanming smiled modestly: "You flatter me."

……

After the joke, there was a long silence.

It's not that we've run out of things to say.

There's no need to say it.

When two hearts are less than ten centimeters apart, even words become superfluous.

Heart is like water

This inner peace is the best words we can exchange.

"call……"

Xiangzi breathed evenly, and drowsiness swept over him.

Just like that, without thinking about anything, I simply fell asleep in his arms, which seemed quite nice...

However, I shouldn't have been so willful.

Shaking his head, Xiangzi forced himself to cheer up.

Looking up, she realized that Yanming's arms, which had been wrapped around her chest, had loosened and were now resting limply on her lower abdomen. The thin fabric was not enough to completely block the heat from her abdomen, and it soon became burning hot.

"Ha..." Xiangzi breathed warm air onto his hands and gently rubbed away Yanming's furrowed brows, which were still furrowed even in his sleep. "This looks much better..."

"call……"