People in Mygo are emotional firefighters.

Mio looked at the wrinkled flower.

Her eyelashes trembled slightly.

Then, she took a deep breath.

"Hmm... if I'm not mistaken... back then, Xiaodeng was always collecting pretty leaves by herself."

The lamp's shoulder twitched slightly.

The surrounding sounds suddenly fell silent for a few seconds.

Mai's hand, which had just raised the lemonade glass, froze in mid-air. Eri blinked and followed Mio's gaze to the light. Kana put down her phone, and the "suppressing laughter" expression on her face slowly faded, replaced by a slightly puzzled, serious look.

Junta Mana maintained her posture of resting her chin on her hand, but her gaze had shifted from Mayu to this side, quietly falling on her.

Even Shiina Riki, who was far away at the bar, strained to listen and leaned forward slightly.

Chihaya Aine and Mayu exchanged a glance.

The lamp now enjoys collecting oddly shaped pebbles.

From leaves to stones, it doesn't seem strange at all.

So what Mio was talking about might actually be the little lamp?

Zhenyu noticed the appearance of the lamp at this moment.

The lamp hung low, her bangs obscuring most of her face. Her fingers, gripping the hem of her skirt, were clenched tightly, her knuckles white. Her shoulders were slightly hunched, and she was curled up into a small ball.

He reached out and grasped Deng's cold hand, pulling her to his side.

Ai Yin turned her head to the side, her gray eyes filled with concern.

"Little Lamp, are you alright?"

The lamp did not answer.

Her fingers curled slightly in Zhenyu's palm.

Zhenyu lowered her voice.

"Little Lamp, you should know Mio, right?"

The light did not rise.

But she didn't pull her hand back.

After a long while, he finally nodded slightly.

Mio's eyes reddened.

"Little lamp..."

Her voice was trembling.

The light did not respond.

Mio looked at the drooping eyelashes of the lamp, at her face that never lifted, at her fingers that were held by Mayu but were still slightly curled up. The light in her eyes dimmed little by little, and the smile that she had been trying to maintain on her lips slowly faded away.

It's normal that Xiaodeng doesn't want to forgive me.

She lowered her eyes.

After all, Xiaodeng must have heard that phone call back then.

The lamp still didn't look up.

But the strength with which she held Mayu's fingers was both light and tight.

It's like it's holding onto something, yet it also feels like it might let go at any moment.

After a two-second silence, Zhenyu released Deng's hand and instead gently supported her shoulder.

"Xiao Deng, let's go over there."

The lamp did not answer.

But Zhenyu had already helped her to her feet.

Aine instinctively shifted, wanting to follow. However, Mayu turned her head and gently shook her, so she sat back down, though her gaze remained fixed on him.

Mayu, holding onto the lamp's shoulder, walked around the sofa, past Kana, past Mai and Eri who were holding their breath, and stood in front of Mio.

Mio Serizawa looked up blankly, her eyes still red, with tears still glistening on her eyelashes.

"……senior."

"Mio, you and Kodama used to be friends, right?"

Mio's eyelashes trembled.

"……Yes."

Her voice lowered.

"A long time ago."

Zhenyu nodded.

"And now?"

He paused.

Do you still want to be friends with Xiaodeng?

Mio opened her mouth.

She subconsciously glanced at the lamp beside Zhenyu. The lamp was still looking down, her bangs covering most of her face. She couldn't see her expression, only her tightly pursed lips and her clenched fingers, which had turned white from gripping them so tightly.

His expression was as if he was waiting for something, or as if he was afraid of something.

Mio's eyes started to sting again.

"I……"

Her voice was stuck in her throat.

Chihaya Aine's eyes widened suddenly.

Isn't that what she said?

That day at the karaoke bar, when Deng said that forming another band would only lead to failure, that's what she said to Deng.

Even the word order wasn't changed.

This guy actually used the exact words she said to comfort other girls.

Aine pursed her lips.

— That's excessive.

She muttered to herself.

—That's what I said.

—You should at least cite the source.

only--

She tilted her head, a hint of a smile, which she couldn't quite explain, spreading across her gray eyes.

—Was I that memorable back then?

--whee.

She withdrew her gaze from Zhenyu and looked towards the bar.

Shiina Riki was still sitting on the bar stool, holding the iced coffee in her hand, the straw in her mouth, her gaze fixed on the small area where Mayu, Akari, and Mio were.

The straw had been bitten flat in two, the edges were white, and there were teeth marks upon teeth marks.

Ai Yin smiled slightly.

She placed the guitar next to the sofa and stood up.

“Mai, Eri, Kana, Mana-san,” she smiled at the table, “I’ll be right there.”

Mai was sipping her lemonade when she mumbled a soft "Mmm." Eri nodded. Kana's gaze was still fixed on Akari and Mio; she simply waved her hand.

Junta Mana raised her eyelids and glanced at Aine.

"……Um."

Aine didn't linger. She walked around the back of the sofa toward the bar, but paused as she passed by Mayu.

Shinba turned her head to the side.

Eyes facing each other.

Ai Yin didn't say anything, but just smiled at him gently.

—You go about your business.

Then Ai-yin walked past him and briskly headed towards the bar.

Zhenyu smiled and turned her gaze back to Deng's lowered eyes.

"Little lamp".

He lowered his voice.

Do you dislike Mio?

The lamp suddenly lifted its face. In those wet eyes, the water shimmered violently.

"……No."

The sound was so soft it was almost inaudible.

Zhenyu looked into her eyes.

There was no resentment, no hatred in it, only a longing that had been carefully hidden for so many years, a longing that dared not be discovered.

Before this band was formed, Lamp would lock himself in the astronomy department, silently staring at a table full of stones.

She was like that back then too.

I miss them terribly, I care deeply, yet I feel it's all my fault. It's because I didn't sing well enough, it's because I couldn't keep anyone.

Mayu sighed softly, turned to the side and grasped Mio's slightly cool hand, then used her other hand to hold the lamp's hand.

He gently took her hands and slowly folded them together.

Mio's eyelashes trembled violently, and Akari's tears slid down her cheeks silently.

Zhenyu pulled her hand away, but the two hands did not separate.

"In that case... let's talk things out and start over."

Meanwhile, the straw in Shiina Riki's hand had been bitten to a pulp.

It's not just a matter of it being flattened into two sections anymore.

The straw was folded in half from the middle, with the edges badly curled up and covered in white plastic bits, as if it had just been through a small typhoon.

"That is……"

Her voice was squeezed out from between her teeth, dry and harsh like sandpaper rubbing against glass.

"What's going on?"

Chihaya Aine sat down on the high stool next to her, leaning against Sose, her legs swinging gently.

She glanced in the direction of Li hope's gaze.

"Um--"

"That's right, Mayu's friend, she used to be Akari's good friend, but there was a misunderstanding before."

Lixi didn't say anything.

She pulled the completely broken straw from her hand and slammed it heavily on the bar.

"...I can tell."

The voice was harsh and unnatural.

Ai Yin tilted her head, a mischievous smile playing in her gray eyes.