People in Mygo are emotional firefighters.

Chapter Twenty-Eight: A Lifetime

Do you know how to sing Sumimi's songs?

Chihaya Aine swiped through the karaoke tablet, searching for her favorite songs, then looked at Takamatsu Akari and said, "I'll sing Hatsuka's part, and Akari will sing Mana's part. How about 'Here, the World!'?"

Mana has slightly more lyrics in this song; she wanted Takamatsu Akari to be able to better showcase herself.

However, it is obvious that small animals like Takamatsu, who do not follow trends, will not pay attention to such popular idol groups.

Who is that?

Gao Songdeng looked at the screen with a somewhat blank expression at the two unfamiliar yet energetic girls.

"Huh?" Aine hadn't expected this reaction and was about to explain—

Just then, the door to the private room was gently pushed open, and Ishikawa Mayu walked in carrying cola and barley tea.

His gaze naturally swept across the screen and landed on it.

"Is this Sumimi?"

He blurted it out almost subconsciously, his tone carrying a hint of familiarity.

Chihaya Aine's eyes lit up, and she happily gave him a thumbs up.

"See! Zhenyu understands me best! I knew you'd recognize me!"

She slightly raised her chin, looking like she had a great ear for music.

Ishikawa Mayu pursed her lips, thinking to herself, "It's just that she keeps appearing on the charts lately," but seeing Aine's obvious look of waiting for recognition, she ultimately didn't expose her little vanity.

He silently walked to the sofa, sat down next to Ai Yin, handed her the iced cola with lots of ice, and gently placed the warm barley tea on the table in front of Gao Songdeng.

"Let me soothe your throat."

Chihaya Aine happily took the cup, took a big, satisfying sip, and squinted her eyes contentedly at the cool bubbles.

But she soon noticed that Takamatsu Akira next to her still had no interest in the idol group on the screen, and didn't even touch the barley tea in front of her, just quietly lowered her head.

Ai Yin put down her cup and said in a light tone, "Let's sing your favorite song instead!"

"I won't sing..."

"Huh?"

"I'm not good at singing."

“It’s okay if you’re not good at singing, right?” Chihaya Aine turned the tablet around and tried to hand it to Takamatsu Akari. “It’s not appropriate for just me and Mayu to sing since we’ve come all this way.”

Ishikawa Mayu nodded, cooperating with Chihaya Aine.

Gao Songdeng remained silent, only shaking his head, refusing to say anything, as if he were enveloped by an invisible barrier.

Seeing her unyielding attitude, Chihaya Aine's previous enthusiasm deflated completely, like a punctured balloon.

She pouted somewhat dejectedly, like a child who had been wronged but had nowhere to vent.

Chihaya Aine in this appearance rarely shows a childlike innocence appropriate for her age, making her much cuter than her usual fierce and aggressive self.

Ishikawa Mayu's lips curled up slightly as she tried to hide her overflowing smile with the rim of her cup while drinking her cola.

However, he clearly underestimated Chihaya Aine's keen perception.

Even amidst a slight sense of frustration, she still managed to catch, out of the corner of her eye, the suspicious tremor of the shoulder next to her, and the barely concealed smile behind the glass.

Without hesitation, Chihaya Aine reached out and pinched Ishikawa Mayu's waist without anyone noticing.

"Ugh!" Caught off guard, Ishikawa Mayu almost choked on her cola. She hurriedly put down the cup and gasped in pain.

That's a bit too much of a desire for revenge!

Fine, I guess it's okay if she gets to vent.

Following this brief act of revenge, a thought flashed through Chihaya Aine's mind like lightning—

Wait! Song!

That song I saw in the lamp's notebook must have been very important to her!

"Shadow of Spring"!

Chihaya Aine made up her mind and started searching on the tablet.

"No..."

Ishikawa Mayu leaned closer to look at the tablet, but unfortunately, the search results were empty.

"That was a song we all wrote together..."

Gao Songdeng picked up the sand hammer on the table without anyone noticing and shook it unconsciously, making a soft rustling sound.

She lowered her head, her voice very soft, as if she were explaining something, or perhaps talking to herself.

A brief silence fell over the private room, broken only by the monotonous sound of the maracas and the sweet singing accompanying the music on the screen.

Chihaya Aine's fingers unconsciously traced the edge of the tablet. She lowered her head, her gaze seemingly still lingering on the blank search page, and spoke casually, trying to keep her tone relaxed: "Speaking of which... why does Akari-kun think... that even if she plays in a band again, she'll definitely fail?"

"cough!"

This guy... is way too direct!

Ishikawa Mayu was taken aback by the overly direct question and choked for a moment. He quickly lowered his head and pretended to fiddle with his phone. He dared not relive the oppressive atmosphere of that day.

Chihaya Aine ignored Ishikawa Mayu's little tricks and continued to probe.

She paused, then continued in that deliberately casual tone, trying to offer Deng some easy-to-answer options: "Was it a falling out with the previous band? Or is it because...their musical pursuits are different or something?"

Takamatsu paused in his shaking of the maracas, remained silent for a few seconds, and then softly replied, "I think... it shouldn't be..."

Another silence followed.

Chihaya Aine lowered her head, her gaze returning to the tablet, her fingertips aimlessly swiping across a page that had no content, as if this could reduce some of the pressure on the other person.

Just when she thought this attempt was going to end in vain again, Gao Songdeng's voice rang out again, even fainter than before, almost merging into the lingering sound of the sand hammer:

"It's probably... my fault."

Chihaya Aine's fingers, which were stroking the edge of the tablet, suddenly stopped.

She didn't look up immediately, nor did she respond immediately.

After a couple of seconds, he spoke very softly, as if afraid of disturbing something, and very carefully.

“I see…” She paused, her voice softening with understanding. “Then you must be feeling very…uncomfortable.”

After saying that, she secretly looked up and quickly glanced at Takamatsu's expression.

As expected, Takamatsu lowered her eyes slightly, revealing an indescribable sadness.

Chihaya Aine continued to comfort her, "But as long as you work hard and don't repeat the same mistakes, won't that be enough?"

Takamatsu raised her head and stared wide-eyed at Aine.

At this moment, the girl's expression took on a slightly serious and heavy tone for some reason: "Even if you fail once, you must believe that you can start over."

Ishikawa Mayu's heart stirred slightly. He raised his head and looked at the gentle girl beside him.

These words seemed to be more than just comforting the bewildered and helpless Xiaodeng.

It's more like a message to the self who once had lofty ambitions but ultimately could only quietly escape back to Japan, and even needed to "keep quiet" to maintain his dignity.

The girl in front of me, who is usually noisy, is now showing such delicate empathy and an imperceptible vulnerability, trying to heal others and her past self with an almost clumsy gentleness.

A strange, tender emotion quietly struck him.

Chihaya Aine seemed to realize that her expression was too serious, and immediately flashed an extremely bright smile, even revealing her small canine teeth playfully:

"Otherwise, life is so long, you won't be able to hold on. Maybe next time you'll miraculously meet some great teammates."

As she spoke, she seemed a little embarrassed, turning her head to look to the side while reaching for the karaoke tablet and quickly tapping it a few times. Her voice also lowered slightly.

"Although that person might not be me..."

The moment the words left his mouth, the bright overhead light in the private room went out with a "snap".

Then, as she turned back to look at the light, she put the tablet down.

"But I still hope you'll join the band."

Rotating colored light spots began to flow perfectly across the ceiling and walls, and soft starry sky lighting effects lit up as well. The dreamlike light and shadow instantly enveloped the three of them, adding a gentle and touching filter to her sincere invitation and the expectant smile on her face.

As Ishikawa Mayu gazed at Chihaya Aine, who was smiling amidst the dreamlike light and shadow, her heart involuntarily skipped a couple of beats.

But the next second, the alarm bell in his heart was almost shattered.

This guy... isn't he a little too skilled?!

First, she said something so touching, then she precisely switched the ambient lighting and music—this combo was so practiced it was almost like it was planned in advance… Is this the social skill of a successful person? How terrifying!

Quack! Boss Aiyin, I respect your teeth and mouth!

He quickly finished a mental rant before attributing his brief momentary flutter to the other person's "overly skillful" technique, and then reverted to his usual lazy demeanor, which was somewhat disdainful of everything.

However, Takamatsu Akari, who has always been silent and introverted but whose emotions are exceptionally pure and sensitive, does not have the same strong psychological defenses and吐槽 buffering mechanism as Ishikawa Mayu.

She was deeply touched by Chihaya Aine's smooth little combo, which combined sincere words with a dreamy atmosphere, striking the softest spot in her heart.

The swirling light and shadow fell into her slightly widened eyes, as if she had truly seen some kind of hopeful starlight.

An unprecedented surge of courage and impulse, mixed with immense emotion, suddenly shattered the barriers she had always used to protect herself.

Her cheeks flushed rapidly, spreading all the way to the tips of her ears.

Why are you blushing like a teapot?

Just as Ishikawa Mayu was internally ranting and raving, and Chihaya Aine was about to say something to ease the tension—

Takamatsu looked intently at the two people in front of him.

Those light brown eyes, which always carried a hint of timidity and evasion, were now surprisingly bright, filled with a desperate earnestness and expectation.

"That……!"

"Would you... be willing to form a band with me for the rest of your life?"

Chapter Twenty-Nine: What a coincidence, you're here too.

lifetime?

This overly heavy and ultimate word fell like a bomb. Ishikawa Mayu felt her thoughts freeze for a moment.

A lifetime? Forming a band? Aren't these words a bit too...?

If she hadn't said "you all," I would have almost thought she was confessing her love to someone...

Wait a minute... I don't think there's a rule against confessing to two people at the same time, right? No, no! What am I thinking?!

His mind was instantly filled with all sorts of chaotic comments and absurd associations. Ishikawa Mayu tried her best to keep a blank expression so as not to reveal her inner shock.

He subconsciously glanced at Chihaya Aine beside him, wondering how this "social master" would handle such an unusually direct approach.

However, even Chihaya Aine's reaction to this situation was no better than Ishikawa Mayu's.

Her smile froze for a moment, and her silver-gray eyes widened slightly in surprise, clearly stunned by the word "a lifetime."

Silence flowed for a few seconds in the dreamlike light and shadow.

Finally, Chihaya Aine seemed to have digested the weight of those two words. She blinked somewhat bewilderedly, then put on a slightly confused and wry smile, trying to defuse the overly serious atmosphere with a lighthearted tone:

"A lifetime?" She repeated the word, her voice rising slightly at the end, carrying a hint of disbelief, as if confirming that she hadn't misheard.

Hearing her repeat herself with disbelief, Takamatsu Akari seemed to be stung and abruptly lowered her head.

The next second, she stood up without warning, almost staggered as she pushed open the heavy door of the private room, and rushed out without looking back. Her slender figure quickly disappeared into the light and shadow of the corridor.

"Tama!" Chihaya Aine called out instinctively, but Takamatsu Akari was already gone. She stood there, stunned and bewildered, her face filled with surprise and confusion. She instinctively turned to look at Ishikawa Mayu beside her, her voice tinged with helplessness and self-doubt: "Did...did I say something wrong?"

Seeing the situation take such a dramatic turn, Ishikawa Mayu's lips twitched. He immediately stood up and said, "Let's not worry about that now. Based on my experience watching so many anime, if we don't catch up and clarify things right away, it will definitely lead to a misunderstanding, missed opportunities, and regrets that will last for twelve episodes!"

Upon hearing his words, Ai Yin instantly realized what he meant, and the slight confusion on her face was immediately replaced by a sense of urgency: "Yes, that's right!"

The two rushed out of the private room almost simultaneously, chasing after the direction where Gao Songdeng had disappeared.

Ishikawa Mayu originally wanted to take advantage of his physical strength as a boy, but after running a few steps, he felt a pink shadow "whoosh" past him at an astonishing speed.

isn't it...