People in Mygo are emotional firefighters.

……

Aine was a little overwhelmed, so she quietly tilted her head towards Ishikawa Mayu and lowered her voice.

"Has she always been...this enthusiastic?"

Ishikawa Mayu sighed helplessly as he watched Takamatsu Akari instantly switch into science-explanation mode.

"I guess I just have a stronger desire to share in specific areas."

At this point, Takamatsu had already found several other penguin-themed bandages and was eager to continue introducing them.

Chihaya Aine quickly interrupted with a smile: "Does Takamatsu Akari really like penguins?"

Takamatsu Akari suddenly became embarrassed, and her voice softened: "I think...they...are very cute..."

"Why do you speak with such a lack of confidence?"

“Because I’m just collecting…” Takamatsu explained softly, “I guess I just like new kinds…”

"Ah, I get it!" Chihaya Aine immediately agreed. "I can't help but want to buy cute stationery when I see it!"

Upon hearing this, Gao Songdeng became excited again and subconsciously tried to take out more Band-Aids.

Chihaya Aine quickly waved her hand: "Ah, no need to take them out anymore! One is enough!"

The lamp stopped moving, its eyes visibly dimmed, and it slowly withdrew its hand.

"You're going to make her cry," Ishikawa Mayu whispered gloatingly in Chihaya Aine's ear.

Chihaya Aine rolled her eyes at Ishikawa Mayu, then switched back to social mode.

"I understand, I'll accept it."

Takamatsu Akari's tearful expression finally subsided, and Chihaya Aine breathed a barely perceptible sigh of relief.

"Remember to clean the wound again before applying it," Ishikawa Mayu casually reminded him. Although he had already given him tissues, he couldn't help but add his own words.

"I know~"

Chihaya Aine stuck out her tongue, took the band-aid, and under Takamatsu Akari's concerned gaze, walked to the sofa next to her and sat down, carefully putting on the cute penguin band-aid.

Ishikawa Mayu, having nothing to do, glanced at the notebook on the table; its cover featured an unknown flower.

“Takamatsu,” he pointed to the notebook, “may I take a look at this?”

"Um"

Takamatsu Akari nodded, but her gaze remained fixed on Chihaya Aine.

Before Ishikawa Mayu could even open it, she heard a crisp sound behind her:

"report!"

He turned around at the sound and saw Chihaya Aine still in the position of bending down to treat her knee, but with one hand raised, like asking a question in class. Her bright eyes peeked at him from under her bangs, and she had a cute smile on her face. She was obviously keeping an eye on his movements out of the corner of her eye.

"Huh?" Ishikawa Mayu was a little confused by her sudden action and uttered a short questioning sound.

“I want to see it too!” Chihaya Aine patted the sofa next to her, gesturing for Ishikawa Mayu to sit down. “Speaking of this notebook, I used one when I was in elementary school. It brings back so many memories.”

Ishikawa Mayu glanced at Takamatsu Akari, and seeing that she didn't seem to have any objections, sighed helplessly.

"Alright, alright."

He muttered to himself, picked up his notebook, walked to the sofa, and sat down next to Chihaya Aine.

At this moment, Chihaya Aine finally managed to smooth out the last corner of the penguin bandage, patted her knee with satisfaction, and immediately leaned her head in with great interest.

A faint, sweet aroma, a blend of sunshine and fruit, instantly assaulted Ishikawa Mayu's senses.

"Look quickly, look quickly!"

The girl's clear voice rang out at very close range, and her warm breath brushed against her ear.

Ishikawa Mayu subconsciously shrank back, trying to create some distance. He could clearly feel his ears starting to burn uncontrollably, and his heart skipped a beat for no reason.

He held the notebook stiffly, his eyes fixed on the paper, trying to ignore the heat source that was too close to him.

"You can look, but don't squeeze so close..." His voice was a little tense, with a hint of barely perceptible panic, as he tried to cover up his discomfort with a complaint.

Chihaya Aine seemed completely oblivious to his subtle stiffness, or perhaps she noticed it but didn't care. Instead, she leaned forward even further, almost squeezing her head between Ishikawa Mayu and the notebook, her finger eagerly pointing at the notebook.

"Hey, stop dawdling!"

Ishikawa Mayu was pushed to the side by her and reluctantly opened her notebook.

He couldn't concentrate on the paper at all; he only felt that the warmth and fragrance around him were too strong.

Chihaya Aine didn't care about all that; she curiously reached out and casually turned a page.

The page layout that caught her eye made her eyes widen slightly.

On the left are densely packed yet neatly written lyrics, conveying a sincere emotion between the lines; while on the right is a hand-drawn musical score, with the members' names written in small print in the blank spaces beside the score.

Just as she turned her head, her soft pink hair slipped down with the movement, and a few strands inadvertently brushed against Ishikawa Mayu's forearm.

The subtle, feather-like touch made Ishikawa Mayu, who had finally managed to calm down, freeze instantly, as if a faint electric current had surged through him at the point of contact. He almost held his breath, his fingers gripping the notebook tightening unconsciously until his knuckles turned slightly white.

I simply can't calm down!

"I've never heard this song 'Spring Shadow' before. Is it by your band?"

"I'm not in a band anymore..."

The heavy atmosphere instantly pulled Ishikawa Mayu back to reality from his inexplicable panic and trembling. He quickly nudged Chihaya Aine with his elbow.

She turned her head to the side and gestured with her eyes to Aine, "What's your plan?"

Chihaya Aine was bumped by an elbow and received a urging and helpless look from Ishikawa Mayu, and immediately realized what was happening.

Her heart skipped a beat; she had been so focused on the sheet music that she had almost let the atmosphere spiral into disaster again.

Remembering what Mayu said before, "Only someone with a sharp, unsightly face like you can handle this," I can't let myself be looked down upon in front of this guy.

Driven by an inexplicable urge to perform, she immediately perked up and decided to forcefully change the atmosphere!

"Hahaha!" Chihaya Aine chuckled twice, then suddenly stood up, clasped her hands together, looked at Takamatsu Akari with bright eyes, and her tone became extremely persuasive.

"At times like these—at times like these, we should go sing karaoke to change our mood! I just happen to know a new one that just opened nearby, and the equipment is absolutely amazing! Deng, let's go!"

As she spoke, she very naturally reached out and grabbed the wrist of Takamatsu Akari, who was still somewhat dazed, and turned to signal to Mayu.

"You've got a knack for this," Ishikawa Mayu thought to herself as she followed behind Aine.

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Su Shi: No need to prepare my share.

Ishikawa Mayu parked her motorcycle safely in the designated area next to the karaoke bar entrance and took off her helmet to hang it up.

Since I have to go to school tomorrow, I can't just leave the car at the school, so I have to come over first and book a room in advance.

Pushing open the heavy, soundproof door of the karaoke bar, a whiff of cool air mixed with a faint scent of disinfectant and cloying fragrance wafted out. A receptionist greeted him with a professional smile.

"Hello, are you alone?"

“Three of you, and two more friends will be arriving shortly.” Ishikawa Mayu took out her phone and opened the coupon QR code that Chihaya Aine had sent her earlier. “Use this.”

The waiter skillfully scanned the code: "Okay, your room has been arranged. Here's the key. We'll guide your friend there when they arrive."

"Thank you." Ishikawa Mayu took the key tag and glanced at the sign for the self-service beverage area next to her.

After thinking for a moment, I walked straight over and paid extra for three self-service drinks—Aine must like all kinds of sweet drinks, and I could also use this to soothe the depressed Takamatsu Akari.

After finding a private room, Ishikawa Mayu sat down in the corner of the sofa. The overly bright light in the room was a bit too dazzling for her.

He took out his phone and first sent a message to Chihaya Aine about the private room.

Then, after a moment of hesitation, he subconsciously opened the chat interface with Nagasaki Motoyo.

Aunt Nagasaki didn't go on a business trip today, but she still had a business dinner out...

Just as I was about to type, a new message notification lit up on the screen, and the sender was Nagasaki Motoyo.

[Ishikawa-kun, don't bother preparing anything for me tonight. I'm going to see some friends; I'll be eating out.]

The message was followed by a simple smiley face emoji.

Ishikawa Mayu raised an eyebrow, but didn't say much, simply sending an "ok" emoji.

He put his phone aside, figuring it would be a while before Ai Yin and the others arrived. Since waiting was boring, he decided to use the music app on his tablet and randomly picked a few songs…

……

"...So, having a motorcycle is so convenient! They disappear in a flash, leaving us behind on our own." Chihaya Aine muttered to the quiet Takamatsu Touka beside her as she found her room by following the address.

Although her words were full of complaints, judging from her smiling expression, she clearly didn't really care.

The lamp still kept her head down shyly, but Chihaya Aine didn't expect her to give her any reaction anyway.

"Ah, we've arrived."

Chihaya Aine gripped the doorknob, muttering to herself, "That guy must be getting impatient by now..."

The moment the door opened, a deep, slightly hoarse voice singing in a language she couldn't understand flowed out and clearly into the corridor.

Ai Yin stopped abruptly as she was about to step into the private room. Takamatsu Takashi behind her also stopped, and both of them looked at the source of the sound with some surprise.

Ishikawa Mayu was sitting on a sofa in the corner, singing intently in front of the screen.

Hearing the door open, the singing stopped abruptly, and he turned to look at the doorway in surprise.

"Ah! Don't stop, Masahiro!" Chihaya Aine immediately snapped out of her daze, pulling Takamatsu Tohru into the private room. Her eyes sparkled as if she had discovered something new, and she plopped down next to Ishikawa Masahiro, nudging him vigorously.

"Are you singing a song from Donghuang? It sounds so good! Please finish singing! I want to hear more!"

Her tone was full of undisguised surprise and urging, completely forgetting her earlier complaints, and she leaned closer to the song selection screen to look at the unfamiliar lyrics with curiosity.

Taken aback by her sudden enthusiasm, Ishikawa Mayu coughed lightly and said, "It's just... a casual song."

He tried to gloss over the issue.

"I'm not just singing casually!" Ai Yin persisted, her eyes practically sparkling. "I never heard of you being able to do this in junior high! Hurry up and finish singing!"

Faced with her bright gaze and rapid-fire urging, Ishikawa Mayu was a little overwhelmed and could only smile helplessly, gesturing to the screen: "It's almost over." He picked up the microphone again and, under Aine's expectant gaze, finished singing the last chorus.

As soon as the song ended, Ai Yin immediately clapped enthusiastically, sparing no praise: "Although I don't understand the lyrics at all, the melody and your voice together gave me goosebumps!"

She turned around excitedly, looked at Ishikawa Mayu, and said half-jokingly and half-seriously, "If I didn't know any Donghuang language at all, I would love to sing a duet with you!"

Honestly, if I were to occasionally slip out a few words of Donghuang language in class, everyone would definitely look at me with those "Wow, that's amazing!" eyes, right? Hehehehe...

The thought flashed through her mind, making her smile even more smug.

"Ahem... If you want to learn, I can teach you a few simple phrases sometime in the future..."

Ishikawa Mayu coughed twice, somewhat awkwardly changing the subject, and handed the microphone to Aine. "Alright, now it's your turn. I'll go get you some drinks. Is there anything you'd like to drink?"

Chihaya Aine followed Ishikawa Mayu's gaze and saw three cups placed side by side on a small table.

She had been to this karaoke bar before, so she knew that the bar did not offer free drinks.

"Ah! Mayu-san even ordered drinks for us!" She happily grabbed Ishikawa Mayu's arms and shook them.

"How thoughtful! Thank you!"

The warm touch and slight shaking from the arm made Ishikawa Mayu's ears feel hot. Her gaze unconsciously drifted elsewhere, but she couldn't bear to look away immediately.

"I just felt it wasn't right to order only one for myself..." he muttered to himself, his tone feigning composure.

This hypocrisy is so easy to understand, Zhenyu, you still need to work on your acting skills!

"Then get me a glass of iced cola just like yours!" Ai Yin smiled, her eyes crinkling, and let go of my hand, adding, "Extra ice, please!"

“…Barley tea. Thank you.” Takamatsu also quietly stated her request.

"Hmm." Ishikawa Mayu nodded, picked up two cups with slightly stiff movements, and turned to walk out of the private room.

His back looked more upright than usual, and his steps were faster, revealing a hint of barely perceptible dishevelment.

The door to the private room closed gently.

Chihaya Aine looked towards the door, finally unable to resist lowering her head, covering her mouth with the back of her hand and chuckling softly, her shoulders trembling slightly.

She turned her head and winked at Takamatsu, who was sitting quietly to the side.

"That guy... his shyness is actually quite amusing."