People in Mygo are emotional firefighters.

Like a lake that is being kept calm with great effort, but beneath the surface, the ripples stirred up by the eye contact with Xiangzi have clearly not subsided.

She stood there with her back straight, but her eyes, which were always gentle and smiling, were now staring blankly ahead, unfocused.

"Su Shi," Ishikawa Mayu leaned slightly towards her, lowering his voice, "...Are you alright?"

Su Shi simply bit her lower lip hard, choosing not to respond to Zhen Yu's concern.

Just as Shinba frowned slightly, about to say something more—

"Snapped!"

Immediately afterwards, a beam of bright white light illuminated the entire stage!

Shiina Riki gripped the drumsticks tightly, her fingertips turning white from the force; Chihaya Aine took a soft breath and hugged her guitar tightly; Takayuki Rakuna crouched at the boundary between shadow and light, half her face illuminated and the other half hidden in the shadows, her gaze calmly sweeping across the audience.

The lamp's gaze went vacant for a moment, its lips parted slightly, but no sound came out.

Her slender fingers unconsciously gripped the edge of the notebook, her knuckles turning bluish-white from the force. Her throat felt constricted; the words that had just been clearly circulating in her mind were now rendered blank by the blinding white light and the blurry figures below the stage.

"……Well……"

She forgot.

What is the first line of the lyrics?

In that suffocatingly stuck moment.

Nagasaki Motoyo's gaze was abruptly pulled back from the direction of the audience seats that had chilled her to the bone.

It was almost an instinct etched into my bones that overwhelmed the cold and chaotic numbness in my chest.

The body reacted faster than the mind.

She took a small step forward, her slender fingers gently grasping the microphone stand in front of her, a smile naturally spreading across her face, as if the momentary lapse in concentration had never existed.

The sound flowed through the speakers, clear and gentle:

"Little lamp, notebook."

Gao Songdeng was brought back to her senses by the familiar soft call. She subconsciously looked down at the notebook with lyrics written on it that she was holding tightly in her arms.

Su Shi's voice was like a safe rope, allowing her to grasp a specific instruction in her blank mind.

With a slightly stiff movement, Deng bent down and carefully placed the notebook, which contained all her anxieties and worries, on the stage floor within her reach.

Then, Su Shi's gaze shifted to the audience below the stage, her beautiful blue-gray eyes sweeping across the seats:

"Nice to meet you all. We're a substitute band. We're all very nervous, and we hope you'll all be understanding."

Su Shi's fingers tightened slightly as she gripped the microphone stand, feeling the cool metallic touch on her fingertips.

Is everyone ready?

As she asked the question, she turned her gaze from the audience to her teammates beside her.

Almost instinctively, the first thing that came to mind was the tall and familiar figure standing to his left.

Ishikawa Mayu was looking at her.

His gaze was focused, his brows slightly furrowed, and his eyes clearly reflected concern and a hint of scrutiny, as if he were confirming whether her current state was truly as calm as she appeared.

Su Shi seemed to be burned by that gaze and quickly looked away, glancing at the others.

His gaze first swept over Lixi, who was already in the zone and seemed to have merged with her own rhythm, then over Lenai, who was crouching at the intersection of light and shadow with an indifferent expression, and finally landed on—

On Chihaya Aine's body.

Those once bright and sparkling gray eyes were now unfocused, staring blankly ahead, as if their very souls were about to drift out of their eyes, leaving only a dazed look.

Chapter 273 Problem Arises

Shiina Riki also noticed Aine's absent-minded and dazed appearance, and his brows furrowed slightly.

But she didn't say anything. She simply raised the drumsticks she was holding in her hands and let the two wooden tips touch each other briefly in the air.

"clatter."

Chihaya Aine's unfocused pupils suddenly contracted, as if she had been pulled back to reality from a sleepwalk.

She subconsciously turned her head to the side, her gaze hastily landing on Ishikawa Mayu in front of her.

Ishikawa Mayu met her flustered gaze, her face expressionless, but she nodded to her with a small but unusually firm nod.

Chihaya Aine took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, barely managing to pull her almost drifting consciousness back to her heavy body. She gripped the guitar in her arms tightly again, pressing her fingertips hard against the cold strings, trying to find that little bit of familiar touch.

Seeing that Aine seemed to have regained some focus, Lixi stopped hesitating. She took a deep breath, her drumsticks tracing a clean arc in the air, and then—

"Tap, tap, tap, tap."

The clear and steady rhythm, like a heartbeat, resounded on the stage after a brief silence.

However, just a few bars into the intro, the guitar melody flowing from Ai Yin's hands showed a slight, almost imperceptible stagnation, lagging behind Li Xi's beat by a negligible half-beat.

"I'm sorry!" Before the first verse was even finished, Aine's flustered voice came out in a muffled voice.

She stopped what she was doing, hugged her guitar, and looked helplessly at her teammates.

The music stopped abruptly.

From the side of the stage, Takamatsu's gaze had been fixed on Aine with worry ever since she made that mistake.

Under the light, the fine beads of sweat on Ai Yin's forehead were clearly visible.

Without pausing, Shiina Tatsuki raised his drumsticks again, crisply and decisively giving the second start.

The rhythm resumed. Ishikawa Mayu's violin and Nagasaki Motoyo's bass followed steadily, while Kaname Rakuna's guitar drew smooth arcs.

This time, I barely made it through a few sections.

But soon, Ai Yin's guitar tone showed a slight deviation again. This flaw was so subtle that it was almost imperceptible without careful observation.

However, she almost instinctively stopped plucking the strings, her hands frozen above the strings, her gray eyes filled with the panic of "I messed up again." She looked at the others again, her lips moving, but she couldn't utter a proper apology.

"Excuse me," Shiina Tatsuki's voice came through the microphone clearly before Aine could apologize again, breaking the brief, awkward silence, "Please try again."

The music attempted to set sail for the third time.

However, the series of mistakes has clearly worn down the patience of some viewers.

The area below the stage, which had been quiet and observing, suddenly erupted with several distinct sighs. A few figures even stood up abruptly, squeezed through the gaps between the seats, and walked towards the venue exit without looking back.

The act of leaving the stage was particularly jarring on the stage where the performers were still trying to build up their emotions.

What may have been a passive observation before has now turned into genuine disappointment.

Ishikawa Mayu's gaze followed the departing figures until they disappeared into the dimness of the stadium exit.

It's even more difficult than I expected...

If things continue like this... let alone meeting Xiangzi's expectations, even the most basic task of "successfully completing the performance" will become a problem.

The image of Xiangzi's threatening words, spoken with a sweet smile, flashed inappropriately through my mind: "I'll lock you up in the Little Mu Family for special training until I'm satisfied."

At the time, I thought it was just a joke, but now I can almost feel the chilling reality. If it really goes wrong, given that "partner's" strictness and stubbornness, it might actually...

Ishikawa Mayu quickly banished the terrifying image from her mind; now was not the time to think about such things.

Compared to Xiangzi's potential disappointment, or his own pointless worry about his "fate"...

At this moment, what occupied his entire mind was the pink-haired girl on the other side of the stage, who was holding a guitar, her face pale, and even her fingertips were trembling slightly.

Lixi was also looking at him.

The stage lights fell on her face, and her purple eyes, which always seemed to hold impatience or sharpness, did not show the anger or anxiety that was expected at this moment.

Instead, there was a clear reflection of quiet concern, and an almost icy calmness belonging to the drummer leader.

She met Mayu's gaze, pursed her lips, glanced quickly in Aine's direction, and then returned her eyes to Mayu's face.

There were no accusations, no complaints, only the question of "what should we do?" and the silent promise of "I will cooperate with you".

Zhenyu felt a slight warmth in her heart.

Even when faced with such a difficult situation and the pressure of the audience leaving, Lixi's first thought was not to blame Aiyin for making frequent mistakes, but how to solve the problem and how to support her teammates.

How lucky to have such teammates.

The two exchanged glances for only a moment, yet a tacit understanding was already achieved without words.

Lixi nodded very slightly, put down her drumsticks, and stood up decisively from behind the drum kit, walking towards Zhenyu. Her steps were steady, her face expressionless, but her gaze remained fixed on Aine, who was still looking bewildered.

At the same time, Ishikawa Mayu waved towards Aine with a small but clearly audible gesture, signaling her to come over.

Chihaya Aine was overwhelmed by a huge sense of frustration and panic. When she saw Mayu's gesture and Riki's approaching figure, she paused for a moment. A trace of confusion flashed in her gray eyes, but her body had already subconsciously and slightly staggered as she moved towards Mayu with her guitar in her arms.

Just as Ai Yin was moving her feet in a daze, a soft and clear female voice came through the speakers and steadily spread throughout the somewhat stagnant venue.

Nagasaki Motoyo. She had somehow regained her grip on the microphone in front of her, leaning slightly forward, her face once again displaying that flawless, slightly apologetic, gentle smile, as if the series of mistakes and the embarrassment of the audience leaving had never happened.

“I’m so sorry,” her voice, carried through the electricity, carried a reassuring quality, “Actually… today is the first time our temporarily formed band has officially stood on such a stage.”

She paused slightly, her gaze seemingly casually sweeping across the audience before finally settling on the figure crouching at the edge of the stage where light and shadow met.

"Um..." Su Shi's voice was laced with a perfectly timed mix of pleading intimacy and helplessness, and she raised her voice slightly to make sure the other person could hear her, "What about you, Le Nai? Is this... your first time too?"

The moment the question was posed, Chihaya Aine, holding her guitar, walked unsteadily to Ishikawa Mayu and Shiina Tatsuki, who was already beside her.

She raised her pale face, her gray eyes still tinged with lingering panic, like a frightened little animal seeking refuge, her gaze shifting helplessly between Mayu and Riki.

Chapter 274 Consider it a gift to me

On the side of the stage, Nagasaki Motoyo's gentle voice came through the microphone.

"Um... what about you, Lenai?" She turned slightly, her gaze falling on Lenai, who was crouching at the edge of the light and shadow, seemingly isolated from the anxiety on stage. Her voice carried just the right amount of intimacy and curiosity. "Is this... your first time too?"

When Yue Nai heard this, she slowly raised her head and replied in her unique, somewhat inorganic tone, "I've played it in many places."

"Oh?" Su Shi's smile remained unchanged, as if she had truly been intrigued. She naturally followed up on the conversation, her tone gentle, "What kind of music are you playing?"

Her voice was calm and unhurried, engaging in casual conversation with Lenai, quietly calming the restless atmosphere on stage caused by mistakes and audience departures, and buying her teammates precious time to adjust.

Just as Su Shi's voice flowed through the speakers, Chihaya Aine lowered her head and moved unsteadily to Ishikawa Mayu and Shiina Tatsuki, who had already come to her side.

Fine beads of sweat clung to her pale face, her gray eyes were lowered, she dared not look directly at anyone, and a soft, almost inaudible call escaped her throat, full of dependence.

"Zhen Yu..."

Ishikawa Mayu didn't speak immediately. Instead, she reached into her pocket, took out a individually packaged wet wipe, neatly tore it open, and then gently but firmly wiped away the cold sweat that kept seeping from Aine's forehead and temples.

The slightly cool touch of the wet wipe made Ai Yin flinch, but she didn't flinch away.

Shiina Ritsuki stood next to Mayu, looking at Chihaya Aine's distraught appearance. A hint of anxiety flashed in her purple eyes. She lowered her voice and said, "Play well."

Chihaya Aine pursed her lips, offering no response, her body still trembling slightly.

Takamatsu, who had been anxiously watching from the sidelines, suddenly seemed to remember something. She quickly picked up the bottle of mineral water that Suze had placed there earlier and carefully handed it to Aine, her voice timid: "Aine... water..."

Chihaya Aine looked at the water bottle handed to her, then at Takashi's clear eyes, hesitated for a moment, then took it and took a small sip.

The cool water flowed over my dry throat, seemingly bringing a moment of relief to my confused nerves.

"...Thank you, Little Lamp."

Chihaya Aine's voice was still very soft, with a heavy nasal tone, but it was a little clearer than the unconscious murmur from before.

She handed the water bottle back to the lamp, and when their fingertips touched, she could feel the slight coolness and care in the lamp's fingers.

"Your skill level is fine."

Shiina Tatsuki Aine handed the water glass back to the lamp, and spoke again, trying to suppress her anxiety and maintain her usual rationality, "Just calm down."

Ishikawa Mayu carefully wiped the sweat from Aine's forehead, turned her head, and looked at Shiina Tatsuki, who was standing next to her with a tense face and furrowed brows.

A faint, knowing smile suddenly appeared on his lips.

“Lixi,” he said in a low voice, only a few of them could hear him, his tone no longer tense, but rather lighthearted and teasing, “you look… a little nervous too.”

Shiina Tatsuki was startled by his words and instinctively turned to look at Mayu, a hint of surprise flashing in her purple eyes: "Huh?"

She never imagined that the word "nervous" would be used to describe her, especially at a time like this.