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

“This is my grandmother’s shop. I was taking a walk in the neighborhood, but they called me a ‘stray cat.’ I’m clearly not a stray cat. Compared to me, they should be the savages.” Lena’s head and eyes drooped slightly, and her mood suddenly became a little depressed.

Was that shop owner actually Xiao Le Nai's grandmother? This must be fate.

Guitarists are drawn to each other. He first met the old lady who owned the shop, and then Le Nai, as her granddaughter, appeared in front of Yan Ming with her guitar.

"Is Space... still doing well?" As soon as he asked the question, Yanming regretted it.

His intuition told him that the answer to this question was definitely not what he and Lena wanted.

as expected

"there is none left……"

The meaning of 'gone' is naturally either bankruptcy or closure.

"...I'm sorry." Yanming apologized sincerely, and even though the other party was just a child, his attitude was not lax at all.

This is a matter of principle.

“Grandma said that someone will always create a new place to live.” Lena said, clenching her fist tightly on her thigh. “...But no matter how hard Lena looks, she can’t find such a person.”

A place to stay...

The world is vast, and without a place to call home, a child like Lena must feel extremely uneasy.

How must she feel when others call her a stray cat?

"Once Grandma buys me a present, I can take my guitar to another live house to find that person. Yanming, do you want to come with me?"

Should we ask him?

"Thank you for your concern, but I think I probably won't be able to go with Xiao Le Nai."

"Why?" Lena asked, puzzled.

They're both homeless people, doesn't Yanming want a place to stay where he can live for the rest of his life?

Cat tilting its head.jpg

“Because, I do have a place to stay, it’s just that I can’t go back… Xiao Le Nai, think about it, if I already have a place to stay, and then I go and find a new one…” Yan Ming dragged out the end of his sentence.

"Cheating!" The cat's eyes widened.

Chapter Thirty-Nine: The Beginning of a Temporary Band

Yanming: "???"

等一下等一下

No! Who taught you that word?!

He meant betrayal!

Who the hell told Lena that word?! I need to correct her!

Yanming's fist hardened.

"It wasn't cheating... but if you had to put it another way, it was pretty much like it." Yanming looked helplessly at the indignant cat and couldn't help but pat her hair.

"?"

Isn't that cheating?

Lena met a cat family near Space. Last time, when the cat father was away, the cat mother took a male cat to the nest. When the cat father came back, the two cats had a big fight and their faces were scratched a lot.

Lenai heard from the cat's mother that she just wanted to give the cat uncle a home, and she didn't understand why the cat father was angry.

But Lena doesn't understand either...

If she could figure that out, she would also understand why Space was shut down.

Yanming continued, "You'll understand when you're a little older."

When she got a little older, her grandmother also said something like that to her.

Do adults like to say that?

"How big will it grow?" Lena asked, puzzled.

Growing up

What exactly constitutes growing up?

The new clothes I bought last year for Chinese New Year have become old clothes and no longer fit.

Is this what growing up is like?

I don't think so.

She used to be able to eat only one bowl of matcha, but now she can easily eat two bowls.

Does this count as growing up?

I wouldn't say that.

"You'll probably grow up until you never want to grow up again." Yanming couldn't help but fondle the soft fur, gently rubbing it. "Little Lenai is living a very free life now, but when you feel like something is holding you back and you can't move forward anymore, then you'll have grown up."

Because there was nothing to worry about, I walked with ease.

Because there are no memories worth grieving over, my mind is clear.

When longing and memories become a burden one willingly bears, the child becomes an adult.

Lena nodded, seemingly understanding but not quite: "I don't understand."

"very nice."

"I'm fine?" Lena tapped her chin lightly with her finger, seemingly deep in thought.

“Yes,” Yanming affirmed. “Also, Xiaole Nai just promised me that she would go home after finishing her matcha.”

Judging by the time, by the time the strawberry parfait is ready, he should go find Deng and the others.

It would be too unsafe to leave Lena here alone.

"I don't want to go back, I haven't had enough fun yet."

"This is not possible..."

Seemingly feeling that her previous explanation wasn't enough to convince Yanming, Maomao thought for a moment and continued:

"It's the weekend, so we can play a little longer. Besides, with Yanming with me, there won't be any danger."

"..."

I picked up a cat ten minutes after leaving the rehearsal room, and it seems to be stuck to me and I can't get rid of it.

I absolutely cannot be soft-hearted this time; I need to quickly come up with a reason to refuse this child…

"Yanming, please."

Can't refuse.

Yanming sighed, but the sigh was directed at himself. "It can only be for a little while."

"Great."

Let's take this child to meet Deng and the others.

……

Let's rewind to when Yanming left the rehearsal room.

oblivionis: "..."

Gao Songdeng: “…”

The room fell silent for a moment, and the atmosphere became still.

Since neither of them spoke first, the two remained in a tacit stalemate.

...But the brainstorming never stopped, whether it was about the lamp or oblivionis.

Lamp: 'Xiao Xiang definitely doesn't want to talk to me... She's only sitting here because of Mr. Yanming, and she even has to wear a mask to force herself to be in the same space as me, that must be it... If I don't understand the atmosphere and talk to her at a time like this...'

The image of Xiangzi's disgusted, black face flashed through Deng's mind.

"I've already told you, the one who needs the most practice is the lamp, so can you please stop talking to me? I've really been trying my best not to get angry with you... Sigh, I wish you happiness, but please don't bother me anymore."

If that kind of thing were to become a reality... Vadashi!

Lamp: (⊙x⊙)

The light has been switched to a low-light mode.

The more she talks, the more mistakes she makes. If she doesn't talk, she'll never make a mistake. At least by maintaining the status quo, she can still catch a glimpse of Xiao Xiang.

oblivionis: 'I really want to apologize to Akari... but I'm oblivionis now, and if I just apologize abruptly, Akari will definitely think I'm weird... but if I just keep waiting, given Akari's personality, she probably won't take the initiative to talk to me, and then I'll still be seen as an oddball...'

The thought of his beloved looking at him with the eyes of someone who sees a villain or a monster sent shivers down his spine. And if he were to imagine it any further…

"This is all the money I have left, please don't hurt me..."

Don’t do that kind of thing!

What should I do, Yanming-jun? Please come back soon!

I can't take it anymore!

With this thought in mind, oblivionis's face gradually revealed a resolute expression, as if he were ending a band performance.

Regardless, just hold on for now. As long as you hold on, at least the situation won't get worse.

With their own thoughts swirling within them, the silence lasted for several minutes. During that time, let alone any communication, even the slightest movement from the other would send shivers down their spines.

It's like running into your old crush at a primary school reunion, and the other person is fully aware of your past feelings—that's incredibly awkward.

"..."

"..."

Finally, it was oblivionis who lost his temper first.

She already felt guilty and couldn't continue treating the lamp with such passive-aggressive behavior.

So, after hesitating for a moment, she finally spoke up: "Um, Deng-kun?"

[Ms. Oblivionis, your very first words are heavyweight!]

You thought you were clever enough to avoid using more intimate nicknames and instead called her "Mrs. Niu" in a distant way, but... you didn't even ask her name beforehand!

Because Yanming told it to get lost, Runlai, who was watching a play in the rehearsal room, resolutely chose to take on the role of the troll.

The lamp was clearly thinking of the same problem as the system: "Eh...you shouldn't know my name..."

oblivionis: "..."

Toyokawa Shoko! Where has your usual calmness and intelligence gone?

Don't let the fact that the other side has a small light cause you to mess things up!

"I heard it from Mr. Yanming. You are Gao Songdeng, right?" Xiangzi smiled and casually made up a lie to cover up his mistake.

The lamp gave a soft "hmm," and then nothing more, leaving Xiangzi unsure of her intentions. He could only follow up on the greeting and forcefully steer the conversation in the direction of the lamp.

"Deng, shouldn't we discuss the new song first?"

Chapter Forty: Hope to Be Forgotten

Yes

Upon hearing what oblivionis said, the lamp also remembered.

When Mr. Yanming said he was going out, he wanted the two of them to discuss the content of the new song. If he came back and found that they hadn't said a word, as if they were having a tiff, he might get angry...

“ob...livionis?” Lamp tried to pronounce the awkward and unfamiliar name.

Hearing Deng's familiar, timid voice actually calmed Oblivionis down considerably. He spoke in a deliberately cheerful tone, correcting Deng's pronunciation error:

“I am 'oblivionis,' which means 'forgotten.'”

Forgetting... What does Xiao Xiang want to forget?

Considering the heavy rain a few days ago, the only thing Deng could think of was the band that Xiao Xiang had personally formed and then disbanded.