Aunt Xiangzi, how did you manage to live?

Nagasaki Motoyo seemed lost in thought, and the smile on her face began to look a little less confident.

"Ah, but if you're planning to do this, Lixi and I will support you unconditionally. Right, Lixi?"

"Well, I have no objection to supporting the lights..."

They all prioritized the matter of the lantern first, since Chihaya Aine was just a "classmate of the lantern" they had just met, nothing more.

"If, I mean if... if you still want to play in a band."

Su Shi shed the pretense behind her usual smile, and this time she spoke her true feelings completely.

"I will definitely get everyone back to normal."

Nagasaki Motoyo remained silent, seemingly having made up her mind about something.

"As before?"

"?!"

The sudden appearance of a fourth voice abruptly interrupted her concentration. The three of them looked in the direction of the sound and saw Miss Wildcat, Lena, who had somehow slipped out of the recording studio and gone to the door to get a matcha parfait.

"So it was you... By the way, the performance is over, Wildcat, aren't you planning to go back yet?"

Lixi, the only one who could talk to Lena, stepped forward. She could sense that there must be a reason why Lena was still lingering around.

"I had a lot of fun performing just now."

Lena didn't answer the question. Instead, she stuck out her little tongue like a cat and gently licked the cookie crumbs on the matcha parfait, her eyes still fixed on the recording studio door.

"But there's something even more interesting."

After saying that, she took the parfait she had just picked up from the front desk and headed straight for the recording studio door.

"........."

Shiina Tatsuki hesitated for a moment in the silence. What came to her mind was not the boy's handsome face, but the moment she had captured when he had shown mercy during their earlier duet.

“I’m sorry,” Li Xi made a decision, then turned to Su Shi and Deng, “Su Shi, could you take Deng home for me? I might have to stay here for a while... I’ll take you home myself next time, Deng!”

"Taki-chan..."

She simply waved to the two of them, then turned and followed Lena's retreating figure.

"Lixi, you're acting strange today..."

Even the taciturn Deng noticed something amiss, and only after Lixi's figure disappeared around the corner of the corridor did she turn her bewildered gaze to the silent Su Shi.

Nagasaki Motoyo didn't try to stop him, even though this turn of events involving Riki seemed to be outside her plans.

"Let's go shopping, Deng. We'll think about our suggestion when we get back, okay?"

She turned her head, her smile still radiating undisguised tenderness towards the lamp.

It seems that the boy named Kazama Akatsuki is a variable in the game she has set up.

But it doesn't matter, he shouldn't affect Su Shi's plans, the plan is still under her control... that should be the case.

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Then look behind you!

Sitting in the audience, Yana yawned and picked up her phone to check the time.

The seconds passed more slowly than she had imagined. Perhaps it was because she felt a little lost in this somewhat unfamiliar environment.

It's normal to feel lost. She followed a guy she'd only known for a few days to a recording studio frequented by band members, and then bumped into a group of girls she'd only seen on singer pages on her phone's music app—

She could sense that this place was very different from the environment she had long been accustomed to.

However, the system that appeared out of nowhere bound her firmly to the boy named Kazama Akira, and it seemed that his fate would also be closely related to hers.

On this point alone, Anzu Hachimi couldn't let him fade from her sight.

Moreover, if the price of doing so is returning to the original position, becoming the loser who can only watch helplessly as their childhood sweetheart runs away with someone else...

Hanami Anna, don't do this.

She closed her phone and turned her attention back to the boy standing in the center of the room. At that moment, Lenai pushed open the door with a parfait and sat down next to her without any hesitation.

"Apricot, Akira's manager?"

After pursing her cat lips, Rakuna spoke to Banami for the first time.

"what?"

Although her short sentence left Banami somewhat confused.

"My name is Lenai."

The wildcat girl nodded to her without reservation and introduced herself. Only then did Banai realize that she had just mistaken her for Kazama's manager.

Although, from the perspective of the system, Lena's guess wasn't entirely wrong.

"Hello... Renai-chan."

"Looking forward to Xiao's guitar playing."

It's a pity that Lena isn't a real cat, otherwise, she would have a long, thin cat tail swaying behind her as she intently stares at Akatsuki.

"If I could play as many musical instruments as Kazama-kun... hehe..."

Chihaya Aine, standing by the door, seemed to be lost in thought, her whole being floating on air—so she didn't even notice the new gaze coming from the small window in the door.

Shiina Tatsuki did not push the door open and entered; he simply arrived at the scene in silence.

At this moment, four pairs of eyes, both inside and outside the room, were focused on the boy in the center. He paid no attention to the whispers and stares of others, but simply bent down and found the guitar next to the stereo.

"Guitar is very simple."

As Xiao picked up the guitar, the words Le Nai had said when she first taught her about the instrument suddenly flashed through her mind.

"All you have to do is put your fingers on it and play however you want—do whatever feels good, that's all, hmm."

Looking back now, Aunt Lena really was a completely unqualified teacher.

Recalling the past brought a slight smile to his lips, while Ai Yin, standing beside him with expectant eyes, reminded him of what his equally unreliable guitar teacher had once said.

"Oh dear, Sister Aine, my technique isn't as good as Lena's. Let's take it one step at a time. Today, let's start by introducing Xiao to each string, the basics, and fingering. After we're done, how about we go out for something delicious?"

"Yes, I want a parfait."

Aunt Aiyin may not be as talented or skilled as Aunt Renai, who is exceptionally gifted in this area, but she knows very well how to handle children.

After all, cats and children are very easy creatures to understand; give them some good food and they'll be well taken care of.

Now, Xiao, who was guided in guitar practice by these two, has reached the age where she can play the guitar on her own. But when she looks up, the two aunts no longer look mature and steady. Instead, the girls from her teenage years are standing by her side, waiting for her to play.

Is this a stroke of luck or a stroke of bad luck?

Xiao didn't think about it anymore. She just casually pulled over a chair, sat down, and held the guitar in front of her.

The next instant, simple chords slipped from his fingertips as a prelude.

The guitar's tone is like a clear spring slowly flowing from a deep well, tranquil and pure. The notes flow slowly and gently from the guitar strings, like a dream returning to the past.

This simple chord progression was the first chord that Lena and Aiyin taught him. He used to practice it by the window on countless rainy afternoons with his guitar, until one of his teachers smiled and nodded at him.

He closed his eyes, his fingertips slowly gliding across the strings, the gentle glissando like a sentence swallowed back before it could be uttered.

What is the significance of his presence here now?

For a long time, Xiao has enjoyed letting his mind wander and think outside the box while playing musical instruments, and this time he subconsciously returned to his old ways.

The melody suddenly sped up, the fingering became rapid, and the tone became tense.

It was simply because Ruo Yexiao had once again fallen into a brainstorming session.

Honestly, it's cool to see everyone from their younger days. He would be happy if he could gain their recognition and praise with the skills they taught him. But what else can he do?

Xiao's fingers seemed to be no longer under the control of reason, flying swiftly across the strings, each pluck carrying a sharp force. In that freedom unbound by rhythm, an infectious power was drawing near, almost bursting forth.

From a young age, he has always enjoyed playing musical instruments while immersing himself in his own thoughts. The improvisational string music allows him to isolate himself from all external influences and concentrate on what he needs to consider.

The rhythm was on the verge of getting out of control, but it never crossed the line.

"When I'm unhappy, just playing a little guitar makes me happy."

This was a lesson taught by Lena, and Xiao also learned from it and applied it flexibly to himself.

It really works.

He dragged out a series of rapid upward glissando notes on the strings, and then swept out a series of syncopated rhythms on the high strings with a pick, like a child playing with and kneading his toys when he was restless. The whole rhythm jumped, broke and then reassembled in this way—which made Le Nai's heterochromatic eyes light up when she was sitting in the audience.

This is her preferred style.

As his fingertips, which were pressing the strings, turned slightly white, Xiao, who was immersed in the music, finally cleared his chaotic thoughts and, as if seeing the sun after the clouds had parted, thought of the one who was most likely to guide him on how to act in the present moment.

Toyokawa Shoko.

When he thought of this person, his strumming movements unconsciously quickened.

The younger version of Toyokawa Shoko certainly couldn't offer him any guidance, but her very existence was a key to breaking the deadlock for Akatsuki.

She was the direct cause of the disintegration of C Group, and also the unforgettable white moonlight that Mu and Su Shi have cherished for so many years.

If she hadn't met with that accident, and if her new group hadn't been formed, and if they could have cleared up all the previous misunderstandings...

Will everyone's lives move towards a happier direction?

The melody surged and receded like the tide, and after a rapid strumming, Xiao realized what he should do most right now.

Everything else can be discussed in detail later, but there is only one thing that is urgent at the moment.

Try to get in touch with Toyokawa Shoko, a very important person to Mutsu and the others—ideally, make her look at you in a new light and establish a good relationship.

If necessary, her fate of being struck by an unexpected disaster and dying young must be rewritten.

The crisp, clean final note faded away, and the song came to an end.

This is the problem that Xiao should focus on solving right now.

"Wow..."

Ai Yin stared in disbelief; she had never seen anyone her age perform the charm of this instrument with such ease and control.

But what she didn't notice was that a footstep outside the door paused for a moment before quietly walking away.

Banami was also somewhat dumbfounded. She had indeed frequently seen many live guitar solos online, including some by talented individuals who had already become internet sensations.

However, none of them possessed the brilliance that the free-spirited Kazama Akatsuki possessed now could rival.

Okay, guys who can play guitar are definitely more handsome than usual, even I have to admit that.

Just as she was lost in thought, the system's voice arrived in her mind as promised.

[Inaugural mission complete.]

Chapter Twenty-Nine: I like her, and I like you too.

"Wow, that's amazing... Kazama-kun, how long have you been practicing?! It feels like you're already good enough to join a full-fledged band!"

As soon as the song ended, Chihaya Aine transformed into a devoted fangirl.

"It's been several years, probably almost ten years?"

"Wow—that's awesome!"

It seems that Aine at least got her fill of entertainment.

Akira took off his guitar and faced Aine's starry-eyed eyes and Banami's "You're not bad" expression with a calm demeanor, as well as Rakuna, who was satisfied and ready to go home after watching the performance.

"Looking for me for the next performance? I'm really looking forward to it."

She left behind these simple six words, then walked out of the recording studio with the matcha parfait in her hands.

"Actually, this elusive guitarist is even better than me."

Watching Lena's figure disappear through the door, Xiao turned her head and shook her head with a smile at Aine.

While there's an element of modesty involved, if Chihaya Aine needs someone to admire, then Rakuna would be a more suitable candidate.

There's no other reason...