People in Mygo are emotional firefighters.

Aine blinked and started giggling:

"Hehehe, is...is that so?"

Mai and Eri's gazes immediately shone on them like spotlights.

"Huh?!"

"So that cover song license was specifically requested by Mayu for Aine?!"

Ai Yin's ears turned slightly red.

Chanel cleared her throat at the opportune moment, taking the topic a step further.

"Ahem, this gentleman over here—"

She turned to the side, extending her palm towards Mio:

"Mio Serizawa. My good friend at the agency, and also the top student in this trainee class, she's about to make her official debut!"

Mio immediately stood up, her movements swift yet slightly reserved.

"Nice to meet you! I'm Mio Serizawa! Please take care of me!"

She bowed slightly, her hair swaying gently.

Ai Yin stepped forward, a bright and sincere smile spreading across her face.

"Hello, Mio! I'm Chihaya Aine!"

She reached out her hand.

Mio was stunned for a moment, then quickly grasped it.

“Mayu mentioned you to me in the rehearsal room before.”

Ai Yin tilted her head, her tone light and cheerful, as if she were talking about what she ate that day.

He said there was a super enthusiastic junior colleague who was very serious and talented.

Mio's ears suddenly turned red.

"Is...is that so..."

Her voice lowered, and her gaze unconsciously drifted towards Mayu for a moment.

Ai-yin took it all in.

Her smile became even brighter.

"Hmm! And I've also heard—"

She lowered her voice slightly, leaned close to Mio's ear, and spoke in an intimate tone, as if sharing a little secret:

"Mio, you bought milk tea for Mayu before?"

Mio froze.

"I...that was..."

"It's okay, it's okay!"

Ai Yin took a step back and waved her hand with a smile.

"I'm overjoyed that someone is willing to take care of Zhenyu!"

Mio opened her mouth, only to find that she had absolutely no idea what to say.

—Wait, wait a minute.

She remembered her plan.

Acting as a "catalyst," playing the villain. Creating a sense of crisis for Aine. Pushing forward the relationship between her senior and Aine.

but--

But Aine's reaction...

This is completely off-script!

Mio's mind raced as she tried to find her place in the conversation.

But Aine just smiled at her, her eyes clear and innocent, as if she was really just thanking a "good junior who took care of Mayu".

Chanel stood to the side.

Her ability to control her facial expressions is on the verge of collapse.

The corners of his mouth turned up in an extremely subtle way, then pressed down desperately, resembling a clam but not quite, a smile but not quite, his whole face displaying a distorted state of "I can't laugh".

She knew that Mio was currently caught in a huge dilemma: "Why is my rival being so friendly to me?"

And Aine—

Aine is really going too far. She clearly knows everything, yet she can still use such an innocent expression and such a calm tone to make Mio dizzy with laughter.

Chanel pressed her lips together tightly, lowered her eyes, and her shoulders trembled.

No.

You can't laugh.

You absolutely must not laugh.

Zhenyu looked at this scene with a hint of confusion in his eyes.

But it probably isn't a bad thing. So he smiled and lowered his voice:

"Aiyin, stop bullying her."

"Okay, I got it—"

Ai Yin responded quickly, her voice rising lightly at the end.

She released Mio's hand, walked around the back of the sofa, put her arms around Mayu's shoulders, and rested her chin on the back of her hands.

Ishikawa Mayu didn't react much—after all, she was getting used to it.

He simply turned his head slightly, his gaze falling on Ai Yin's fingertips resting on his shoulder, then looked away without saying a word, letting the weight press down gently on him.

Moreover, Ai Yin is not like the secular world, which would leave her entire mind in an awkward and tender state.

however.

A gaze could be faintly seen from behind.

No, there are two paths.

A chilling coldness, a profound silence.

Zhenyu didn't turn around, but the hairs on his back had already pinpointed those two gazes for him—

The direction of the bar.

He paused, his Adam's apple bobbing, before swallowing the cold tea without uttering a sound.

Junda Mana froze for a moment before continuing to smile.

"You two have such a good relationship."

Chanel was completely unaware of the several pairs of gazes passing between them in the air.

"At school, Mayu is closest to Kotori and Aine."

She nodded matter-of-factly, her tone carrying a sense of "what's so strange about that?"

"After all, they're teammates, and they sit next to each other. On the very first day, Aine dragged Mayu to the rooftop, and the whole class knew—"

"Chana."

Aine's voice came from Mayu's shoulder, the last syllable of her voice trailing off.

"You talk too much."

Chapter 287 (Two-in-One) Reconciliation

Mio maintained a polite smile, standing beside Kana, watching Mai and Eri chattering away, asking Junta Mana all sorts of questions.

She wore her social mask very well.

After all, they are trainees who are about to debut, and their agency has already taught them how to handle this kind of situation.

Looking at Chihaya's hand on Mayu-senpai's shoulder, looking at Mayu-senpai's profile that didn't look away, looking at the natural, everyday intimacy between the two of them.

She was indeed happy.

This is the scene she has always wanted to see.

The senior and Chihaya have a very good relationship, so good that they can be so close to each other without caring about others. As an observer, as someone who silently ships this couple, this should be something to be happy about.

She was indeed happy.

But at the same time, I had a strange feeling in my chest.

There's just one thing...

It's indescribable, gentle, like something that would dissipate in the wind.

"It's probably just envy," Mio thought.

I envy people who can stand beside you without a second thought.

She left that feeling there, without dwelling on it or trying to get rid of it. She just let it be.

My gaze began to drift unconsciously.

From Mayu's lowered eyelashes to Aine's crescent-shaped smiling eyes, to Kana's suppressed laughter—

Then it landed on someone else.

Takamatsu lamp.

Could it be her?

Mio thought to herself, the name matches, and the face is very familiar.

But after all, Deng didn't acknowledge him; instead, he kept his head down...

Did I mistake her for someone else, or did I hurt her too deeply back then, making her unwilling to be with me...?

Chihaya Aine noticed Serizawa Mio's strange gaze.

Mio is looking at the lights.

That long pause seemed to be confirming something.

She blinked, suddenly remembering that when Kana introduced the name "Serizawa Mio" earlier, the light's reaction seemed a little strange.

Ai Yin tilted her head, and without thinking much, spoke directly:

"Mio-san."

Mio's shoulder tensed almost imperceptibly.

Do you know Xiaodeng?

Mio's shoulders trembled slightly.

"...Huh?"

Her gaze shifted from the lamp to Aine's face, and she blinked twice.

"Recognition, understanding refers to..."

His voice was a little dry. The last syllable unconsciously rose in pitch, as if trying to buy himself some time to gather his thoughts.

“Well—” Ai Yin tilted her head, her gray eyes filled with pure curiosity, “You were staring at Xiao Deng the whole time, I thought you two had met before.”

Mio opened her mouth.

Then her gaze passed over Ai Yin and landed on the girl who kept her head down.

The lamp head was lowered even further.

Her bangs completely covered her face. Only her fingertips could be seen, pulling a small wrinkle into the hem of her skirt.