People in Mygo are emotional firefighters.

A vibrant, clear, and resonant voice rang out from ahead.

Five figures stood at the end of the passage—the entire Poppin'Party cast who were about to appear.

The one who spoke was the team leader, Kasumi Toyama, who was standing at the very front. Her short pink hair was still striking in the dim light, and her face was beaming with a bright smile, free of any gloom. She waved vigorously at the crowd who had just come off the stage, her eyes shining with genuine admiration.

"That performance was fantastic!" Kasumi's voice was full of energy, and she didn't hold back her praise.

"Thanks for your hard work"

Standing beside Kasumi, the gentle-looking Saya Yamabuki and Satomi Ushigome also smiled and nodded.

Arisa Ichigaya pushed up her glasses, her tone calm yet affirmative: "For a temporary substitute to perform like this, it's not bad."

Yao Lena held her guitar, her gaze lingering on the PPP group for a moment, then nodded calmly and made a muffled nasal sound: "Mm."

Taken aback by the sudden praise, Takamatsu Akari blushed slightly, lowered her head, then quickly looked up, a shy but happy smile playing on her lips, and whispered, "...Thank you."

Nagasaki Motoyo quickly adjusted her breathing, her impeccably gentle smile returning to her face. She gracefully bowed slightly to the PPP members: "Thank you so much for your encouragement, seniors. Please do your best on the next stage as well."

Arisa Ichigaya pushed up her glasses, her gaze sweeping over everyone before finally settling on Kasumi Toyama: "Alright, it's our turn, Kasumi."

"Yes!" Kasumi Toyama nodded vigorously, her excitement undiminished. She turned towards the passageway leading to the stage, clenched her fist, and her voice was full of eager enthusiasm, "We Popipa can't lose either!"

Tae Hanazono, standing nearby, also gave a warm smile and softly echoed, "Yes, let's do our best together."

As they left, the corridor seemed to quiet down considerably, with only the faint sounds of equipment being moved from backstage and the energetic prelude of Popipa playing again on the stage in the distance.

I said—

Almost as soon as PPP disappeared from sight, Chihaya Aine turned around abruptly, grabbed Shiina Tatsuki's arm beside her, her gray eyes shining brightly, and her face beaming with an uncontrollable, radiant smile that mingled with immense sense of accomplishment and excitement. Her voice rose slightly with emotion:

"This is a huge success, isn't it? It really is a huge success, isn't it? Hey, Tanuki!"

Shiina Tatsuki was startled by her sudden action and rapid-fire questions, and instinctively tried to shake off her hand, but her fingertips twitched and she ultimately didn't really use force.

The lingering heat from when Mayu helped her up on stage and when Aine poked her cheek still remained on her face, along with the blush that remained after the heart-fluttering, soft sensation subsided.

At this moment, in the relatively private backstage passage, facing Aine's undisguised excitement, the mask that had been tightly stretched and trying to maintain "everything as usual" finally cracked a little.

"It's so noisy, so incredibly noisy..."

Lixi turned her face away, trying to cover up her equally high spirits with an impatient tone, but the slight upturn of her lips and the excited gleam in her eyes betrayed her.

She took a deep breath, and although she tried to keep her voice calm, the last syllable of her voice rose uncontrollably, "It's a big success!"

"Hehe, it's just a different way of saying it!" Aine shook her arm, taking advantage of the situation, her smile becoming even brighter. Then, as if remembering something, she looked past Riki's shoulder and at Ishikawa Mayu and Takamatsu Akari, who were walking a little behind.

Lixi followed her gaze and turned her head.

Her gaze first instinctively and quickly swept over Ishikawa Mayu—the moment she touched his figure, she seemed to vaguely feel the strange sensation of being held by his hot arm around her waist again, which made her ears burn and her gaze quickly slid away as if burned, landing on Takamatsu Akari, who was walking quietly beside Mayu.

Deng's face still had a blush from the performance, her eyes were bright, and the corners of her mouth were pursed in a shy but happy smile. She was clearly still immersed in the applause and the afterglow of success.

Seeing the lamp like this, Lixi felt a surge of immense, pure joy and pride welling up in his chest.

Her violet eyes softened, and her voice unconsciously lowered, carrying an unprecedented seriousness and gentleness as she spoke:

"Lamp, you sing so well..."

The words "That's awesome!" almost slipped out of my mouth.

However, in that moment when emotions flowed naturally, Riki caught a glimpse of Ishikawa Mayu out of the corner of his eye once again.

He was looking down slightly, walking a little slower than usual, and his face didn't show the expected relief after a successful performance, or the helpless yet indulgent smile he had when watching them play around.

On the contrary, his brows were almost imperceptibly furrowed, his lips were slightly pursed, and his gaze was somewhat unfocused on the ground of the passageway ahead, as if he were thinking about something, or perhaps carrying a hint of... barely perceptible confusion and loss.

His absent-minded, even somewhat dejected appearance was completely out of place with the still lively atmosphere around him.

The praise that Li hope was about to say caught in her throat.

She blinked and looked closely at Zhenyu.

It's not an illusion.

What's wrong with this guy?

He was perfectly fine when he was giving his thanks on stage just now, wasn't he?

Lixi's confusion was clearly written on his face.

Before she could ask, Chihaya Aine, who was beside her, had already let go of her hand and moved to Mayu's side in a few steps.

"Mayu?" Aine tilted her head, the excitement in her gray eyes fading slightly, replaced by clear concern. She then naturally reached out and hugged Mayu's arm, gently shaking it, her voice lowered, tinged with uncertainty, "Mayu? What's wrong? Are you tired?"

The shaking and warm touch on his arm snapped Ishikawa Mayu back to reality.

“…Ah, um.” He responded, his voice a little hoarse. “It’s nothing. I’m just… a little exhausted.”

"Exhausted?" Shiina Tatsuki repeated, his tone clearly doubtful.

She walked over, her purple eyes scanning him up and down. She knew this guy's stamina; a mere opening act wouldn't have made him look so distracted. This demeanor clearly indicated that something was on his mind.

Nagasaki Motoyo, who had been standing quietly at a slight distance, took a small half-step forward.

The dim light in the corridor fell on her slightly lowered eyelashes, casting small shadows.

She clasped her hands together in front of her, her fingertips unconsciously rubbing against each other, then raised her eyes, her gaze calmly sweeping over everyone before finally settling on Zhenyu's face.

"It's probably because of... Xiangzi's matter."

Chapter 282 Temporarily Suppressed

"Xiangzi?" Ai Yin blinked, not quite understanding at first.

Su Shi took a slight breath and continued, her tone carrying a complex calmness: "Xiangzi... left after watching our performance."

She paused, as if giving the words time to settle, or perhaps trying to organize her own somewhat chaotic thoughts.

“When I was giving my thanks just now, I… glanced over there.” Su Shi’s voice was very soft. “Her and Ruoye’s seats… are now empty.”

Li hope pursed her lips, and the slight irritation she felt because of Zhen Yu's abnormality was unconsciously replaced by a more complex emotion.

She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, such as "Why would that kind of guy care about her?" or "Our performance isn't just for her"—she still harbored some resentment towards Xiangzi's departure back then, which had caused Deng to be depressed for so long.

But looking at Shin's still somewhat melancholy profile, these words lingered in his throat, but he ultimately didn't say them.

She simply turned her face away and muttered under her breath, "...So what if he left?"

The voice was soft, and it sounded less like a complaint and more like an attempt to offer a gentle reassurance.

Chihaya Aine glanced at Mayu, then at Souse, and seemed to understand something. She hugged Mayu's arm tightly again, this time with more force, as if trying to dispel his somber mood with her own warmth. Her voice regained its previous energy, but with a more earnest and supportive tone:

"It's okay, Mako! We were a super-successful success! Shoko-kun... probably just had something to do and had to leave early, right? Besides, didn't we perform Shoko's song perfectly? She must have heard it too!"

Lenai stood to the side, took out a small bag of snacks prepared backstage, and leaned against the wall of the passageway, eating slowly and deliberately. Her heterochromatic eyes, filled with pure curiosity, moved back and forth between the group of people.

The excited blush and bright eyes that had appeared on Deng's face earlier had faded without her noticing.

She lowered her head slightly, her long bangs falling down and covering most of her face. Only her tightly pursed, shapeless lips betrayed her current emotions.

Clearly, Su Shi's words, "Xiangzi is gone," also precisely struck a soft and persistent corner of her heart.

Zhenyu watched the lamp's silhouette dim in an instant and sighed softly in her heart.

He took a deep breath, temporarily suppressing the pent-up frustration and disappointment in his chest caused by Xiangzi's sudden departure.

Now is not the time to let this sentiment spread.

So Shinba took half a step forward, stretched out his hand, his palm still warm from the performance, and gently placed it on Takamatsu Akari's soft hair, giving it a natural rub.

"I'll talk to Xiangzi about it later."

Zhenyu's voice rang out, much calmer than before, carrying a soothing power. His gaze swept over Aine and Lixi in turn, finally settling on Su Shi's face, as if speaking to everyone, and also reiterating to himself, "Now that our performance has been a success, let's not think about these things for the time being."

Then, he bent down slightly, bringing his gaze level with the downturned lamp. His hand remained gently on the top of her head, his voice softer and clearer, each word carrying a resolute warmth:

"lamp."

Takamatsu Akari's shoulders trembled slightly. Hesitantly, he raised his eyes, his wet eyes meeting Masahiro's gentle gaze.

“You sang wonderfully today,” Zhenyu said, looking at her with an encouraging smile, her tone sincere. “Everyone must really appreciate such enthusiastic applause.”

He paused, his fingertips lightly brushing the ends of her hair, his voice soft yet carrying a reassuring sense of promise:

"...including Xiangzi."

The lamp blinked its wet eyes, still glistening with moisture, as if it was still processing the gap between the possibility that "Xiangzi also likes it" and the reality that "Xiangzi left early".

Her slender fingertips unconsciously tugged at the hem of her performance costume, her voice trembling slightly:

"...Xiangzi...can he really understand...what I'm trying to say?"

Shiina Tatsuki frowned. She couldn't stand Akari's self-deprecating attitude, especially after giving such a wonderful performance.

Forget about understanding or not, if someone sings well, they sing well.

"Of course I understand!"

A clear, loud, and energetic voice rang out before she could.

Chihaya Aine had already let go of Mayu's arm at some point, took a step in front of Akari, and reached out to gently grasp Akari's slightly cold fingers.

"Xiangzi has been in a band with Xiaodeng and written songs with her! She understands Xiaodeng's music better than any of us, right? How could she not understand?"

Warm words, like a series of leaping musical notes, entered the lamp's ears without warning.

Deng stared blankly at Aine's smiling face, which was so close to him and radiated sincerity and confidence, and saw his own somewhat dazed reflection in her eyes.

That familiar, fiery energy, carrying real warmth, was transmitted through our clasped hands, gradually melting away the chill that had accumulated in our hearts.

She looked at Aine, then at Mayu beside her who had her hand on her head, offering silent support, and her lips moved slightly.

Although the doubts had not completely dissipated, a different kind of warm and reassuring feeling was spreading from the tightly clasped hands and the palms above my head.

"...Mmm." Finally, Deng responded very softly, gripping Ai Yin's warm fingers tightly with her other hand. She tried to smile, though the curve was still a little forced, but the gloom in her eyes had indeed dissipated quite a bit.

Shiina Riki watched from the sidelines as, with the support of Aine and Mayu, the light in Akari's eyes visibly returned and her face regained its radiance.

She opened her mouth, but the words she had prepared seemed superfluous and clumsy at that moment.

Forget it.

Li hope inwardly scoffed.

Although I was a little annoyed that this guy beat me to it... I'll let it go since she actually managed to fix the lights.

In the end, she merely let out a barely perceptible "humph" through her nose, pursed her lips, and turned her face away, as if she were somewhat impatient with this "tender" scene before her.

Lixi turned his head away, but his gaze involuntarily and cautiously drifted back to Zhenyu—and then, unexpectedly, he bumped into Zhenyu's gaze, which was fixed on him.

His gaze was unusually gentle, even carrying a hint of... a faint smile that hadn't completely faded from her awkward reaction just now.

"!"

A surge of intense shame mixed with overwhelming panic rushed to her head, and she abruptly turned her head to the other side, the movement so fast that the wind could almost be heard.

However, on the other side was just a cold wall in the passageway, with nothing to see.

So he quickly looked away and stared at a somewhat old wall lamp in the corner of the ceiling, as if flowers had suddenly bloomed on it.

Then, feeling that this didn't seem natural enough, he lowered his eyes and began to study the fine wood grain on the drumsticks in his hand, his fingertips unconsciously stroking them.

In just a few seconds, her gaze darted frantically back and forth between the walls, the ceiling, and the drumsticks, but she dared not look in Zhenyu's direction again.

Her furtive glances, her forced composure yet riddled with flaws, coupled with her flushed ears and slightly pursed lips trying to suppress the unnatural curve of her mouth, gave her a uniquely adorable appearance.

Ishikawa Mayu took in Riki's series of flustered and clumsy reactions.

The melancholy I felt because of Xiangzi's sudden departure was somewhat eased by this vivid and lively scene.

Just then, Nagasaki Motoyo's gentle voice rang out at the opportune moment, "Everyone," she took a small step forward, her gaze sweeping softly over the diverse emotions of the crowd, her face bearing her usual polite smile, her voice clear and steady, drawing everyone's attention back, "Shouldn't we... go back to the lounge first?"

Chapter 283 Knee Pillow

Back in the lounge, the slightly crowded space was filled with a mix of relaxation and excitement that comes after a performance.

Motoyo Nagasaki turned on the LCD TV on the wall and tuned it to the live broadcast channel.

On screen, Poppin'Party's performance is in full swing, with energetic music and cheers coming through the speakers.