People in Mygo are emotional firefighters.

She carefully placed the insect encyclopedia notebook she was holding on the clean desk, then pulled open the drawer, which was filled with her treasured collection.

She pointed to a deep black stone, its surface covered with fine, silvery crystals that shimmered faintly in the light streaming in from the window. "It feels... like the night sky has been frozen in time?"

She picked up another smooth stone with layers of milky white and light brown veins. "This one... was found on the riverbank. The water took a very, very long time... to polish it into this shape. Doesn't it look like... the rings of time?"

This kid is completely absorbed in his own world!

Ishikawa Mayu looked troubled, although she could indeed sense a touch of poetry in her description.

But to him, these were just... rocks. He knew nothing about geology, let alone those imaginative metaphors.

To break the awkward silence, he glanced at the overflowing drawer and tried to change the subject, casually asking, "Is this... all your treasured collection? There's so much of it."

What about the other members' collections? Are they also stored here?

As soon as he finished speaking, he saw Gao Songdeng's shoulders twitch almost imperceptibly. The faint glimmer of light in his eyes quickly faded, replaced by a sense of loss as if a sore spot had been hit.

She lowered her head and murmured softly, "The Astronomy Department... now, I'm all alone."

She silently walked to the table, took out a thick notebook with the words "Astronomy Department Activity Report" written on it, and quietly handed it to Ishikawa Mayu.

Oops, I think I asked the wrong question.

Ishikawa Mayu took the folder and awkwardly flipped through the things left behind by the senior members of the Astronomy Club.

"On December 12th, dust was discovered; its shape is almost identical to the Crab Nebula..."

Gao Songdeng said in a low voice, "The words of the previous minister are written at the end."

Ishikawa Mayu readily agreed and turned to the last page.

"I saw the starry sky today, it was so beautiful..."

"What kind of star is it exactly?"

Takamatsu turned her head to look out the window, seemingly lost in thought.

The unconventional description seems to suit the eccentric girl quite well.

Ishikawa Mayu closed her notebook, looked up,

"It seems that the Astronomy Department is more likely to attract people with strong personalities."

Want to join?

Takamatsu Akari immediately became excited and stared intently at Ishikawa Mayu once again.

"Although submitting good activity reports will prevent the department from being disbanded, I would be happy if you were willing to join."

"Huh?"

Ishikawa Mayu paused for a moment, then lowered her head and began to ponder. Could it be that I am actually a very individualistic person?

Upon closer reflection, it doesn't seem to be entirely wrong.

But Takamatsu Akari, aren't you a little too good at climbing the ladder?

He looked up and saw that Gao Songdeng's eyes had dimmed quickly because of his brief silence, his head had drooped down in disappointment, and his fingers were unconsciously picking at the corner of the table. He was once again exuding that aura of a rejected little animal.

Ishikawa Mayu suddenly felt a familiar headache.

isn't it?

Having just calmed down that pink-haired devil, now it's time to soothe this sensitive little animal?

Do I have some kind of kindergarten nanny physique?

He sighed helplessly to himself, looking at the "mushroom" in front of him that seemed about to drip water at any moment, and resignedly began to seriously consider the feasibility of joining the Astronomy Department, which was on the verge of being abolished and had only one member.

The space here isn't large, but it only has this one quiet little animal, so it would be a nice resting place after you've finished slacking off.

In addition, I don't really belong to any clubs or organizations.

However, his lack of interest in clubs wasn't entirely due to a lack of interest; the deeper reason was his aversion to the strict attendance rules and group activity requirements of most clubs.

He needs a lot of personal time to make videos, and now he may also have to deal with band matters. If he is absent for a long time, he will definitely be kicked out.

He didn't want to have to deal with inquiries from clubs later, which would be more troublesome than not participating at all. That's why he always stayed away from various clubs.

After a moment's thought, he made his decision. He raised his head, looked at Takamatsu Akira, who was still nervously clutching the hem of his clothes, awaiting his verdict, and spoke calmly:

"Takamatsu-kun."

"Yes, yes!" Deng suddenly raised his head, like a primary school student waiting for the teacher to call his name.

“Joining the Astronomy Club isn’t entirely out of the question,” Ishikawa Mayu said slowly. Seeing the glimmer of hope that instantly ignited in the other person’s eyes, he immediately added the crucial condition, “However, I have one request.”

“I can’t guarantee that I’ll attend every club activity, and I might not come for a long time. I have a lot of my own things to do. So, my requirement is—absolute freedom of attendance. You can’t demand that I attend activities just because you’re the club president, nor can you have a problem with me not attending.”

"No problem," Takamatsu Akari nodded. As long as it could liven up the Astronomy Department, that would be great.

Ishikawa Mayu was somewhat surprised by her quick agreement. He paused, feeling the time was right, and taking advantage of her good mood, made another, more important request, though it felt a bit like taking advantage of her vulnerability:

“There’s one more…” He hesitated for a moment, but finally spoke, “Aine and I are forming a band. We’re still short of members… Takamatsu, could you be one of us?”

He anticipated that since he had just agreed to her request to join the club, he would most likely agree to this "exchange" condition, given that Deng was gentle and not good at refusing.

however--

"I will not participate."

A clear, faint, yet exceptionally resolute voice rang out, without the slightest hesitation.

“…Very well, then we…” Ishikawa Mayu subconsciously began her prepared remarks, but only halfway through her sentence did she suddenly realize what she had said, and froze on the spot, almost doubting that she had misheard.

……etc?

Not participating?

Given Takamatsu Akari's personality, would she even have the option to refuse?

"Is it because you don't know how to play a musical instrument? You can learn that slowly..."

“No, that’s not it.” Takamatsu Akari clenched her fist slightly. “Because… even if I played in a band again… it would definitely fail again…”

Chapter Nineteen (Two Chapters Combined)

The recruitment invitation for Takamatsu Teng was unsuccessful.

What frustrated Ishikawa Mayu even more was that, amidst the overly heavy and sorrowful atmosphere, she was ultimately captivated by this little animal radiating an unusual gravitational field, and eventually signed a humiliating treaty, becoming a member of the Lighthouse Department's staff.

Ishikawa Mayu, a crushing defeat!

Although he accurately grasped the hidden message behind Gao Songdeng's vague "playing in a band again..."

She used to be in a band and most likely possesses the skills needed for a band, making her a highly desirable candidate for recruitment.

However, the disbandment of the band clearly caused enormous psychological trauma to this already taciturn girl, so much so that she was unwilling to talk about it and instead built a high wall of silence and refusal.

This is the second time today that Deng has broken down!

Looking at her, as if she were about to drop a pearl at any moment, she seemed to want to shrink into a shell of loss and sorrow, and the surrounding air seemed to become thick and sticky...

Ishikawa Mayu felt a chill run down his spine. He dared not delve any further into this obviously minefield topic, fearing that if he said another word, he would truly become the last snowflake that crushed the other person's emotions.

Left with no other choice, he took a deep breath, as if he had made some great sacrifice.

"……Hey."

Takamatsu Akari shuddered and buried her head even deeper.

"Does that matter with the Astronomy Department still count? You mean the one you just mentioned?"

Takamatsu suddenly raised her head, her eyes still slightly red, her light brown eyes filled with disbelief and a hint of cautious hope, as if afraid she had misheard.

Ishikawa Mayu felt a little uncomfortable under her gaze, but forced herself to continue.

"But let me make this clear beforehand, I can't guarantee I'll come every time, and it might be a long time before I can come, so you can't..."

Before he could finish speaking, he saw Gao Songdeng nodding vigorously, as if afraid that he would change his mind.

The dejected look she had been in vanished instantly, replaced by an expression of surprise and relief. A faint smile bloomed on her face, and her eyes shone with an astonishing brightness.

"Yes! That counts!" Her voice was still soft, but full of energy. "Welcome to... the Astronomy Club, Mayu-san!"

Seeing her smile through her tears, Ishikawa Mayu let out a long, helpless sigh in her heart.

Okay... at least I managed to appease him.

Not only did she fail to invite Deng, but she also lost herself in the process...

To reassure the club president, whose emotions seemed to have just stabilized, and to prevent her from overthinking again, Ishikawa Mayu decided to go all out and actually stayed in the astronomy club room until school ended. After all, Golden Week was coming up, so she didn't care about wasting this little bit of time.

Gao Songdeng's mood improved significantly because of his arrival, and the previous gloom seemed to have been swept away.

Then she started sharing her treasures with him. Besides collecting stones, Deng also collected all sorts of band-aids with animal patterns...

Ishikawa Mayu tried to peek at her phone several times, but was interrupted each time by her desire to share it.

Seeing Deng so happy was rare for him, so he quietly put his phone back in his pocket and resigned himself to being a listener.

It wasn't until the school bell rang that Takamatsu Akira seemed to wake from a beautiful dream, and reluctantly stopped sharing, after all, it was getting late and it was time to go home.

At the school gate, Gao Songdeng, holding her bulging handbag, bowed solemnly.

"Thank you so much for today, Mayu-kun."

"Okay, bye-bye." Ishikawa Mayu replied somewhat awkwardly, and only after watching her turn and walk in another direction, blending into the crowd of students leaving school, did she finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Finally... it's over.

I just don't know how things are going with Aine, or if she's found the teammates she needs.

As Ishikawa Mayu pondered this, she opened LINE; Aine had sent her many messages.

【Mayu-kun! Report! Report! I found a super-amazing target in the band activity room!!! (★ω★)】

[She's a girl with long blue hair! She has an amazing aura and is incredibly gentle! She plays the piano like a pro! And! She's not in any band!]

Blue-haired girls are not very common; Ishikawa Mayu herself seems to know only one.

He continued reading, and Aine's mood seemed to take a sharp turn for the worse.

But... I don't know why, she rejected me very decisively... (；一_一)

[She seems so gentle, but when she refuses, she leaves no room for negotiation... as if she has some deep reason.]

Sigh, it was such a perfect match...

The next message regained some vitality and turned to show concern for him:

[Well, never mind! I've run into a little trouble here! How's it going for you, Makoto? Did Akari agree? ('▽`)?]

The last few messages were sent very recently, with a hint of complaint and haste:

【Ah, Mayu hasn't replied to my message! Is she still sweetly discussing rocks with Akari? (｀?')Ψ】

Just kidding~

I'm going to catch the tram with Wu and the others first. See you at school tomorrow! (Sneaks away)

It was followed by a cartoon animal emoji that tiptoed away.

That's the end of the message.

Ishikawa Mayu felt a little embarrassed. He had only contacted Aine twice in total, so why did he make her wait so long each time? If it were any other girl, she would probably have gotten angry long ago.

[Ahem... I just saw this.]

"Not only did I fail to invite Akari," he paused, feeling a little embarrassed, but still sent the message anyway, "...I was instead dragged into the astronomy club by her."

The message was instantly marked as read, and then a whole string of messages came in one after another.

【Eh?! (°口°;)】

[The Astronomy Club?! Why did Mayu suddenly join another club?!]

[I was thinking... if there's a suitable club, maybe we could join the same one... (。o︿o。)]

The words conveyed an undisguised surprise and... a subtle hint of resentment?

The reply was as quick as ever, Ishikawa Mayu thought, suppressing her inner grumbling.

But...did this guy originally want to be in the same club as me?

The thought sent a fleeting, inexplicable joy through his mind, but it was quickly suppressed by reason.