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

Seeing the lost and dejected expression on Deng's face, Yanming knew that he had found the key to the problem.

He then asked, "Can you tell me the name of that band?"

"...It's Crychic, but I didn't know the meaning of that name, and even when I lost it...I still didn't ask 'that person'..." Takamatsu Akari's eyes dimmed, as if she had returned to the state she was in when she first got out of bed that morning, unable to pull herself out of it.

The grief and guilt solidified, like a fruit knife coated in strong acid, relentlessly piercing Takamatsu Akari's skull. The steel blade screeched against the bones, and her two useless eyeballs could no longer see what was in front of her, probably because her optic nerves had also been severed. All she could see was the dark abyss left behind after the "sun" had left...

"What if I told you that Crychic hasn't disbanded yet?"

The light that is lost in the abyss can never reappear; only a tiny miracle can bring it back.

The lamp sat at the bottom of the abyss, and raised its head because of Yanming's words.

She perceived a miracle.

She longed for a miracle.

But she no longer had the courage to fight for a miracle for herself.

"They've already... disbanded..."

"Not yet, I said, Crychic isn't over yet." Yanming pressed down on Deng's trembling shoulders and emphasized again.

But what does he know?

He knew nothing; he had only learned the name of the band Crychic from Deng a moment ago.

But that's precisely why he had to speak up and tell the bewildered girl in front of him the fact that 'Crychic is still around'.

“Crychic didn’t disband; it just doesn’t have anyone coming back.” Yanming’s words still carried that convincing magic, as if he were speaking from firsthand experience. “Your companions are still waiting for you, waiting for the ‘right’ person to call them all back.”

That so-called most "correct" person could be Gao Songdeng, or it could be any member of the band.

In the formation of a band, each person is the most "correct" and the most "needed," and it is precisely for this reason that a band comes together and becomes a community of shared destiny in playing music.

The reason they couldn't reunite after parting was simply because they lacked a catalyst.

An opportunity called courage.

"Light, are you confident you can do it?"

Yanming asked, but he already knew the answer from Deng's expression.

At this moment, Takamatsu Akari is still confused and is absolutely unable to make the choice she hopes for.

The current Takamatsu lamps are just that disappointing.

That's just how it is...it's boring.

“I…I can’t do it…I can’t face them…I’ve already run away once…I…”

Takamatsu Tama can no longer become human.

But that statement was merely her own thought.

If I had to put it in perspective, it would be that the lamp... itself gave up on becoming human.

Then Yanming spoke up:

“I also escaped, and it was too late to undo it... This is a regret I will carry for the rest of my life, so I don’t want you to have this regret either. Believe me, that feeling is really unpleasant.”

"Light, I will help you, I can help you!"

Tell me what you really think.

Yanming reached out his hand, but always maintained a small distance between himself and Gaosong Deng. However, this very small distance had to be crossed by Deng himself.

Only in this way can Yanming understand whether the girl's inner determination can overcome her indecisive personality!

"I……"

It takes about 0.5 seconds to speak a sentence, but less than 0.001 seconds to make a decision!

Just before Deng was about to say those discouraging things, her body started moving on its own.

That was the choice made by the soul.

"Snap." Two hands, one big and one small, clasped together.

Therefore, there's no need to say more; the answer is already clear...

"Well done, Little Lamp."

As if in response, Yanming squeezed the girl's hand tighter.

From this moment on, the event transformed from him single-handedly saving the lamp into a joint effort between two people.

……

Chapter Twenty-Six: The Lamp's Milk

This was his first encounter with the lamp.

Even after they separated, Yanming returned home and calmed down for a while, but he still couldn't help but marvel at the wonder and unbelievability of fate.

I passively acquired someone else's laptop yesterday, and today I immediately met the rightful owner.

The lead singer of Crychic... and who are her other bandmates?

Well, compared to other people's penguins, Yanming now has a little blue octopus that he needs to take care of.

Let's not think about it too much for now.

[Sigh... I ran into a guy with incredible charm while job hunting after graduation. He's a monster at flirting with girls, and I can't beat him no matter how hard I try.]

[Name: Takamatsu Tomo]

[Current Intimacy Level: "Just like that person" (61)]

[A potential bug has been detected. The strategy system is working diligently to troubleshoot it. Please wait...]

【Tick.】

[Task has been changed:]

[Please help Gao Songdeng overcome the shadow cast by someone → Help Gao Songdeng reform the band.]

[Current completion rate: 0%]

[Current prompt: The seed has been planted, but it still needs time to be watered. During this waiting period for it to bloom, try to build a good relationship with the lamp.]

It's rare for the system to provide such a straightforward prompt.

It's probably because Xiaodeng herself is already quite stream-of-consciousness.

And what does "intimacy level" mean? Which person exactly?

Yanming guessed that the person mentioned in front of the lamp who left the Crychic band because of her, and the "that person" mentioned in the panel, might refer to the same person.

But this is just speculation. There's no way to ask people directly about this, otherwise you'll end up like the system, being mistaken for a pervert stalking and investigating little girls.

The only difference is that he was misunderstood, but the system, that thing, is most likely really a braided pig.

【Hello! 】

Sorry, I used the wrong word.

It is Bian Tai.

【…I’m not! (?д?; )】

However, the system panel changes are still ongoing.

[Task progress has been updated]

[Current completion rate: 0% → 10%]

[New Hint: After building a good relationship with the lantern, perhaps you could start by getting involved with the other members besides "that person."]

[Phase rewards are being distributed]

[Congratulations, host, you have received: A Cup of Takamatsu Akari's Milk (a selection by the legendary pink-haired guitarist). Please check this item when you are alone.]

"..."

Deng is only fifteen years old.

This is too damn bad for him to bear.

It's milk! Milk!

This time it's really nothing strange!

Since no one was home at Yanming's house, the mission reward was directly given to him.

He stared somewhat awkwardly at the glass full of milk. To confirm that what the system said was true, he hesitated and carefully fanned the rim of the glass with his palm, inhaling the faint scent of the liquid as if he were smelling a dangerous chemical.

Hmm, it's neither human nor penguin.

Furthermore, it doesn't have the milky smell of freshly squeezed lotion, suggesting it's a product that has undergone industrial sterilization.

"Gulu."

One bite

It tastes like ordinary milk, but Yanming hasn't had it for a while.

Now that we have a new baby at home, we can go to the supermarket later and buy some things while we're at it.

After all, Teacher Da Xiang's current body is clearly somewhat malnourished. Let's not even mention his pitiful length, which is only enough to hit his own knees when he jumps; let's talk about his width.

Anyone who didn't know better would think that Xiao Xiang was so thin because he had been a vegetarian for a long time.

As a result, Yanming asked...

Damn it, if I had gotten involved two days later, my family wouldn't even have vegetarian food left. If they didn't starve to death, they would have had to dig wild vegetables in the ditch!

Alright, although he's cute even though he's small, let's take advantage of his current growth and give him more nutrition.

In short, let's feed her a lot of nourishing food first.

Yanming placed the empty glass on the table and smacked his lips: "So far, none of your rewards have been of any use. They're all just stolen things."

That's because the host has really bad luck!

I clearly have plenty of good stuff here too!

"My luck has always been worse, otherwise how would I have met you?" Yanming shrugged. "But you're so lucky that even I'm envious."

【Huh? Why?】

"Unlucky you managed to find such a high-quality host like me on your first try?"

That's true.

"..."

He thought the system would at least refute him with a few words, saying he was narcissistic or something.

"A system like yours that doesn't follow the script, which blind bastard let you graduate?"

【Well...】

[They took over a hundred years to graduate, and on graduation day, my advisor told me not to tell anyone their graduation number.]

Is it because they're worried I'm too outstanding that some system is begging them to take me on as an apprentice?

"...Perhaps, just take it that way."

At least Yanming now knows that, besides himself, there is another poor guy suffering from the conquest system.

[That's enough, host, you should go take your medicine!]

"understood."

……

Time flew by and it was already evening.

Yanming, wearing his bright pink apron, brought the last dish to the table and then sat down opposite Xiangzi.

Did anything happen at school today?

I need to learn more about Xiaoxiang's current situation in order to figure out what's bothering her.

"Several classmates asked me why I haven't been to school recently."