People in Mygo are emotional firefighters.

Mayu gave Riki a faint, knowing smile, then turned her gaze back to Chihaya Aine, who was pale-faced, and reached out to gently grasp her hand, which was cold and even a little damp from nervousness.

Aine's hand trembled slightly in his palm.

"It's okay if you play it wrong."

Mayu's voice was very soft, yet it carried a strange, reassuring certainty.

As he spoke, his gaze was first focused on Aine's eyes. Then, as if to confirm the meaning of his words, he naturally turned his head, his gaze passing over Aine, who was looking down, and looking at Shiina Tatsuki, who was standing on the other side.

Those purple eyes, which always seemed somewhat indifferent or irritable, were now staring at him without blinking.

Meeting her gaze, Zhenyu's smile deepened, and he repeated clearly and slowly:

"This is our song."

"Just keep bouncing down," his gaze returned to Aine's face, and he tightened his grip on her hand slightly, conveying unspoken support. "I'll help you."

A faint glimmer of light finally flickered in Chihaya Aine's dull eyes. She glanced at Mayu, then subconsciously looked at Ritsuki beside her, her lips trembling as she murmured, "This..."

Looking at Zhenyu's composed and relaxed demeanor, Lixi's initial embarrassment and annoyance at being called "nervous" earlier somehow dissipated.

This guy... can still tease people in this tone, which means he's at least relaxed right now, and even in complete control.

This realization acted as a reassurance, calming the anxiety churning in her chest caused by the performance setback.

Of course, being told that she was "nervous" made her ears burn a little.

Shiina Riki turned her face away, took a deep breath, and when she turned back, her face had returned to its usual calm.

She nodded clearly and firmly to Mayu, Akari, and even to Aine, who was still somewhat hesitant:

"He's right. This is our song."

Li hope paused for a moment, carefully choosing his words, and finally uttered simple and powerful words: "It doesn't matter how it's played."

After receiving confirmation from Lixi, the faint light in Aine's eyes seemed to brighten a little, and her tense shoulders finally relaxed a bit.

As the cold panic in Aine's eyes gradually melted away, it was replaced by a mixture of hesitation, wavering, and a faint flame that had been rekindled after being enveloped in warmth...

Ishikawa Mayu suddenly leaned slightly closer to Chihaya Aine.

They were so close that Aine could feel the subtle airflow from his breath brushing against her sensitive earlobe.

Then, she heard him speak softly in a deep, resolute voice that only she could hear:

"During the performance later..."

"Just pretend you're playing it for me, like when I was supervising you before, okay?"

These words were spoken softly, yet they were like a pebble thrown into a still lake, instantly creating clear ripples.

Chihaya Aine's pupils contracted slightly, and her previously wandering gaze suddenly focused.

She stared intently at Zhenyu's profile, which was so close to hers, and unconsciously squeezed his warm hand with her fingertips.

On her pale cheeks, a little bit of color slowly, yet with unwavering determination, began to spread again.

Chapter 275 There's no need to keep posting.

Just as Chihaya Aine's cheeks flushed and her heart raced because of Mayu's whispered words—

“Everyone,” Nagasaki Motoyo’s gentle voice rang out at just the right moment, interrupting the moment when everyone was too close together on the side of the stage.

She had finished her brief but effective conversation with Ryuna, her gaze sweeping over everyone with a polite smile before finally settling on Mayu and Aine. A barely perceptible ripple flashed across the depths of her blue-gray eyes, but her voice remained steady and gentle, "It seems... everything is settled?"

Her peripheral vision never completely left that small "emergency scene" to the side.

On one hand, she was indeed assessing the progress of Aine's recovery; on the other hand... the close proximity between the two, the atmosphere that seemed to exist in its own space, subtly excluding others, made her heart feel as if it had been lightly pricked by a needle, a slightly sour and suffocating feeling rising within her...

Now that Aine has recovered, there's no need to keep clinging to her like this!

"--what!"

Chihaya Aine was startled awake by Sose's voice, only then realizing how close she was to Maho, and that the warmth of his breath still lingered near her ear.

Zhenyu released his grip at the opportune moment, straightened up, and took a half-step back with a normal expression.

"I...I'm alright!"

Chihaya Ai took a deep breath, her voice still trembling slightly, but much clearer than before, as if trying to prove something. Clutching her guitar, she hurriedly and awkwardly moved back to her original position.

Shiina Riki glanced at her, said nothing more, turned around and walked steadily back to his drum kit to sit down.

She picked up the drumsticks again, adjusted the microphone angle, cleared her throat, and her voice came through the speakers, steady, clear, and reliable:

"I'm sorry to have kept you all waiting."

Her apology was brief and to the point, without much explanation.

Just then, from the front section of the audience below the stage, several exceptionally clear and energetic shouts suddenly erupted:

"Aiyin—Go for it!!!"

"Little Lamp! Keep it up—!"

"Mayu-san! Do your best!"

The voices belonged to several young girls, filled with undisguised support and enthusiasm.

It's dance, and also Kana and Eri.

They had arrived at the scene at some unknown time and were now crowded in the front, waving their hands vigorously, their faces beaming with bright smiles that also carried a hint of mischief, their eyes fixed intently on the people on stage who had just experienced some twists and turns.

Especially when she looked at Chihaya Aine and Ishikawa Mayu, the teasing and "we all know" meaning in her smile was almost overflowing.

Chihaya Aine, who was just calming down, was instantly stunned by the sudden support from a familiar classmate.

A wave of overwhelming embarrassment washed over her, causing her cheeks, which had just regained some color, to flush bright red, almost as if steam were rising from them.

She instinctively wanted to lower her head and hide her face, but her body involuntarily straightened up a little, and the corners of her mouth uncontrollably turned up into a small arc that was a mixture of extreme shame and a certain secret smugness.

Honestly! What are you shouting for at a time like this?! And so loudly! It's so embarrassing!

—But… Mai and the others really came. And they were cheering so loudly…

—Hmm…it’s so embarrassing…but…I think…I’m also kind of happy?

She held her guitar, her fingertips unconsciously plucking at the strings, her eyes darting around, completely avoiding looking in the direction from which her classmate's voice came, yet she couldn't help but glance at it out of the corner of her eye.

A mixture of shyness, excitement at being noticed, reassurance from the support of her teammates, and a burning determination to "never let all of this down" exploded in her chest, converging into a clear and surging power.

A burning urge to share the voices of those around us.

Even Ishikawa Mayu, who was standing to the side, was slightly taken aback by the sudden and targeted cheer.

When their gaze swept over themselves and then over Ayane, whose cheeks were flushed red, the meaning in their smiles became even more obvious and impossible to ignore.

A subtle sense of embarrassment crept into my heart.

It wasn't that he was disgusted or angry, but being supported in such a public setting by a familiar classmate in such an enthusiastic and meaningful way, especially after he had just had a close interaction with Ai Yin... made him feel a little embarrassed.

He subconsciously raised his hand, loosely clenched it into a fist, pressed it to his lips, coughed lightly, then turned his head slightly away from the intense gazes from below the stage, refocusing his attention on the stage as if the subtle reaction of that moment had never happened.

On the other side of the stage, Takamatsu Akari was slightly taken aback by the sudden, energetic cheers. She blinked her clear eyes, her gaze shifting from the waving arms below the stage to Aine beside her, whose cheeks were flushed but whose lips were slightly upturned, and then to Mayu, who looked slightly embarrassed and turned her head away.

A warm, supportive, and enveloping feeling quietly dispelled some of her fear of the stage. Although she was still a little nervous, a small, reassuring light now shone in her eyes, which always held a hint of uncertainty. She nodded gently, as if talking to herself, or perhaps responding to the shouts: "...Go for it."

Shiina Tatsuki naturally heard the cheers, especially the particularly "meaningful" shouts directed at Mayu and Aine. Her gaze swept over the girls in the audience who were clearly cheering, then glanced at Ishikawa Mayu, whose ears were still red and who was trying to appear calm. She gave a barely perceptible "humph" through her nose and pursed her lips.

Her expression was a mixture of disdain, "I can't stand it," and "I knew it would turn out like this," as well as a subtle awkwardness that she herself wasn't fully aware of.

However, when she turned her gaze to Chihaya Aine, who had returned to her seat, her cheeks still flushed but her eyes refocused, and who was tightly holding her guitar, that slight dislike was quickly replaced by a more important judgment.

—At least, that guy's method worked. Aine looks like... she can play now.

This is enough.

Lixi was no longer wasting any time on pointless emotions. She took a deep breath, refocused her attention, and immersed herself in the rhythm that was about to begin.

She slightly adjusted her posture, raised the drumstick in her hand, and hovered in the air for a moment, as if gathering strength, or as if giving her teammates, especially Ai Yin, who had just experienced some twists and turns, a final silent confirmation.

Then--

"despair."

The drumsticks struck lightly, producing a crisp and clear sound.

The rhythm begins to flow again.

Chapter 276 So... Xiangzi cared about him too...

Nagasaki Motoyo took in the few cheers filled with youthful restlessness from the audience, as well as Chihaya Aine's ears turning bright red and her forced composure.

The thin needle in my heart seemed to have been pushed in a little deeper.

Her perfect smile remained unwavering, yet deep within her blue eyes, the subtle ripples quietly spread into a more somber wave.

It's always like this.

Whenever that pink-haired figure appears, Mayu's attention, concern, and even the jeers from below the stage seem to involuntarily focus on her.

There was always a vibrant and intimate aura between the two of them that was difficult for outsiders to easily intrude upon.

My timely "reminder" may have broken the close proximity, but it couldn't break this invisible connection.

A distinct bittersweet feeling, mixed with a deeper sense of loss, quietly crept into my heart. It wasn't just the jealousy I felt at this moment, but also a connection to something much earlier... When Xiangzi's gaze swept over me indifferently, but finally landed on the lamp, the sting of being completely ignored, as if it were all a thing of the past.

Now, even Zhenyu's gaze seems to be focused on...

No.

Now is not the time to think about these things.

Nagasaki Motoyo squeezed her eyes shut, and when she opened them again, all the emotions that had been leaking out in her eyes had been forcibly suppressed to the deepest part of her mind, leaving only the focus and calmness that a performer should have. She could not, and absolutely would not, allow herself to let her personal emotions affect this crucial performance—a performance that Shoko was watching in.

She took a deep breath, her fingertips brushing across the cold bass strings, focusing all her attention on the melody that was about to flow out.

Shiina Tatsuki's drumbeats once again set the pace.

This time, the prelude unfolded smoothly.

Although Chihaya Aine's guitar playing still carried a subtle tension, her pitch and rhythm were now firmly in sync. Ishikawa Mayu's violin joined in at the right moment, its melodious and supportive lines intertwining with Suze's steady bass low frequencies and Riki's crisp drumbeats.

Takamatsu took a deep breath and sang the first line of lyrics at the predetermined beat.

Her voice initially trembled slightly, but enveloped by the rich music, it quickly found its footing, gradually becoming clear and firm, carrying her unique, heart-touching purity.

Su Shi was completely absorbed in the music. She lowered her eyes slightly, her body swaying gently to the rhythm, her fingertips dancing skillfully across the strings, each note played solidly and with great emotion. She completely immersed herself in the music, as if only in this way could she temporarily forget the complex emotions churning in her chest.

However, in a fleeting moment when she glanced up, her gaze, as if drawn by a magnet, habitually swept over Ishikawa Mayu, who was not far away beside her.

He was slightly turned to the side, facing Chihaya Aine. Although his hand movements while playing the violin were smooth and steady, his focused profile and eyes clearly conveyed a sense of vigilance and concern, as if he were always ready to respond and provide support.

And below the stage—

Su Shi's pupils contracted almost imperceptibly.

In the relatively dimly lit area of ​​the audience seats, she could clearly see that Toyokawa Shoko's usually calm and composed eyes were now fixed directly and unblinkingly on Ishikawa Mayu.

Xiangzi's face showed no obvious expression, but her slightly pursed lips and her overly focused, even slightly sharp, gaze betrayed that her admiration was not pure.

It was a scrutiny, an assessment, and perhaps... also mixed with a very subtle displeasure caused by the overly obvious "biased" interaction on stage?

A clear thought, like a cold arrow, suddenly pierced through the chaotic thoughts of the world:

So... you care about him this much too.

It's not about nostalgia for Crychic's past, nor is it about curiosity about her current situation in Nagasaki.

Instead, it was her undisguised attention, or even a hint of... dissatisfaction, towards Ishikawa Mayu—the girl who was now standing beside her, wholeheartedly supporting another girl?

This discovery did not bring Su Shi joy; instead, it was like a double-edged sword. While cutting away the lingering illusions she had about Xiangzi, it also made her feel a more complex sense of suffocation regarding Zhen Yu's situation of being "watched" by many.

She quickly averted her gaze, suppressing all her emotions once again, and plucked the bass strings even harder, as if pouring all her feelings into the flowing notes.

The music continued.

The melody of "Walking with the Blue Sky" is not intense, but it has a gentle yet firm driving force.

As Gao Songdeng's performance became increasingly captivating and the band's coordination improved, the initial mistakes and embarrassment seemed to be gradually forgotten. The number of audience members leaving the audience stopped increasing, and even some who had initially been just observing gradually stopped whispering and began to listen attentively.