People in Mygo are emotional firefighters.

Ishikawa Mayu coughed lightly, trying to change the subject: "Speaking of lights... what are your thoughts on her wanting to be in a band for life?"

Chihaya Aine's expression became more serious, and she tilted her head slightly: "To be honest, I haven't thought about it yet... 'A lifetime' is really too heavy."

“Yes.” Ishikawa Mayu nodded. “This kind of thing does require careful consideration in order to give a valuable answer.”

After a moment of silence, Chihaya Aine suddenly looked at him curiously: "Then... if I had just casually agreed to Akari's request back then, would you really have left the group?"

"Yes, I will." Ishikawa Mayu answered without hesitation.

Ai Yin gave a soft "oh," her expression unconsciously dimming slightly.

Seeing her suddenly look downcast, Ishikawa Mayu reached out and gently flicked her forehead.

“But,” he said, his voice softening, with a rare gentleness, “I know you won’t do that.”

Ai Yin looked up and met his gaze.

“You’re not the kind of person who makes promises easily—not because you’re timid or hesitant, but because you always genuinely care about others, and I trust that about you. It was knowing this that I agreed to your invitation in the first place.”

The afternoon light slanted in through the stairwell window, casting golden shadows on his profile.

Chihaya Aine felt her heart skip a beat. She instinctively raised her hand to her chest and muttered softly:

"What...you even said you don't know how to comfort people..."

Ishikawa Mayu pretended not to hear her whispered complaint, his gaze drifting to the window in the stairwell, and he coughed awkwardly.

"So," he asked, deliberately using a casual tone, "why did you suddenly run up here? Weren't you just chatting happily with them? Why did you suddenly run up here?"

"Ah! Right!" Ai Yin seemed to have been reminded of something important, and took out her phone from her pocket. "It's Su Shi. She said on LINE that she wants to invite us to RiNG after school to talk about the band in detail. I was going to come up and tell you, but then..."

She smiled sheepishly and didn't say anything more.

"So you overheard us talking?" Ishikawa Mayu finished her sentence.

"I already said it wasn't intentional~"

Ai-yin stuck out her tongue and made a cute face, trying to get away with it by being adorable.

Seeing her like this, Ishikawa Mayu couldn't help but smile. He glanced at the time on his phone, stood up, and dusted off his pants.

"Alright, class is about to start, we need to hurry downstairs." He walked towards the stairwell, his tone slightly teasing, "Otherwise, when the lights come on and they see the two of us sitting here alone, who knows what they'll think, and that won't be easy to explain."

"Ah! You're right!" Aine exclaimed, as if only just realizing the problem. She immediately sprang up from the steps and grabbed Ishikawa Mayu's wrist. "Quick, let's go!"

Chapter 40 Toyokawa Shoko

Before the echoes of the school bell had even faded, Ishikawa Mayu, carrying her schoolbag, mingled into the crowd.

He ultimately didn't have the heart to ask Chihaya Aine if she wanted to go together.

The reason for the invitation was that Chihaya Aine and Mai had made plans to go to RiNG Cafe together, and it would be too conspicuous to go there together by motorcycle, so Aine declined.

He could understand that reason.

But after being explicitly rejected once, he was too embarrassed to ask again.

What if she finds it inconvenient, or... worse, it would make me seem inconsiderate.

"Anyway, it's fine if we each go our own way, it saves us trouble..."

He muttered to himself, trying to console himself, as he bent down to untie his shoelaces.

While changing his shoes, his eyes inadvertently glanced at the school gate, and he paused for a moment.

A particularly eye-catching figure stood at the school gate.

She was a girl wearing the standard uniform of Tsukimori Girls' Academy. Her shoulder-length green hair shone softly in the afternoon sunlight. Her features were as delicate as a doll's, but her face was expressionless, exuding a cold aura that kept strangers at bay.

She stood there quietly, her gaze fixed on the entrance to Haneoka's school, as if waiting for someone.

Ishikawa Mayu couldn't help but take a second look.

That iconic green hair and that outstanding appearance...

If the photo he saw while searching for "Crychic" online is correct, this should be one of the band's former members, Mutsumi Wakaba.

It seems that some netizens have mentioned in their gossip that she is the daughter of a well-known celebrity couple?

However, Ishikawa Mayu has never paid much attention to entertainment works here, and has no concept of so-called celebrity parents, so naturally she doesn't have any special feelings about them.

In comparison, he felt that the real, quiet and living Wakaba Mutsumi in front of him looked more...cute.

Judging from this girl's appearance, she probably doesn't have many friends from other schools, let alone from her own. So the only person she's waiting for is Gao Songdeng.

Ishikawa Mayu hesitated for a moment, then changed her shoes and went over.

“Um…” he lowered his voice slightly, “You’re waiting for Xiaodeng, right? She should still be in the Astronomy Department, so she might not be out for a while.”

Ruo Yemu slowly turned her head, her golden eyes quietly watching him with a hint of confusion, but she didn't speak, only shook her head.

"Weren't we waiting for the light?" Ishikawa Mayu asked, somewhat surprised.

He knows Su Shi and Li hope, but neither of them attends Yuqiu School. Could it be that this guy really has other friends?

and many more……

He suddenly remembered that some pink-haired guy had said something incredible to him on Line sometime during a certain day...

The screen lit up, and their conversations from the past few days had stalled at exchanging goodnight emojis. He took a deep breath and began frantically swiping up the screen.

Messages flashed by rapidly:

[Look at this, Mayu! It's a super funny cat video! (≧▽≦)]

The fried egg in my bento box accidentally burned QAQ

……

Ruo Yemu stood quietly to the side, watching him suddenly start flipping through his phone. She tilted her head slightly, seemingly confused by this unexpected behavior, but still maintained a polite distance and did not peek at his screen.

Countless trivial daily conversations slipped through his fingers, and he almost began to doubt whether he had remembered them wrong.

Finally, after turning countless pages, his fingers stopped—

【Mayu-kun! Report! Report! I found a super-amazing target in the band activity room!!! (★ω★)】

[She's a girl with long blue hair! She has an amazing aura and is incredibly gentle! She plays the piano like a pro! And! She's not in any band!]

Long blue hair...good temperament...keyboardist...

In addition, I found out last night that Xiangzi used to be a keyboardist for Crychic...

Cold sweat broke out on my forehead instantly.

It can't really be that much of a coincidence, can it?

"You wouldn't be..." His voice trembled slightly, "...waiting for...Xiangzi, would you?"

Ruo Ye Mu's eyes widened slightly, seemingly surprised that he knew the name and addressed it so intimately, but he still nodded gently.

Ishikawa Mayu suddenly felt a chill run down her spine and almost instinctively wanted to leave the school.

He forced a smile, trying to appear calm: "Haha... I won't bother you anymore... I'm leaving, haha..."

Just as he was about to leave, Ruoye Mu suddenly spoke softly:

"Are you...her friend?"

Ishikawa Mayu froze. Friend? This title left him momentarily speechless.

He opened his mouth, but in the end he only mumbled an "uh-huh" and walked quickly toward the school gate as if fleeing in panic.

In a corner he didn't notice, a familiar strand of blue hair quietly hid behind the shoe cabinet, only swaying slightly as he hurriedly left.

Ruo Yemu remained standing quietly, watching his back, her golden eyes filled with a hint of confusion, as if she didn't understand why her simple question would elicit such a strong reaction from him.

Only after confirming that he had gone far away did Toyokawa Shoko emerge from behind the shoe cabinet with a blank expression.

She walked straight to her shoe cabinet, quickly changed into her outdoor shoes, and didn't even glance at Ruoye Mu throughout the entire process.

Ye Mu shouldn't be here, and he certainly shouldn't be waiting for her in such a conspicuous place at the school gate.

As the children of celebrities, Ruo Yemu's every move is under scrutiny. If people notice them together, it will inevitably cause unnecessary speculation and attract some annoying people.

She had finally started a new life in Yuqiu and didn't want to expose her past identity due to any accident.

After changing her shoes, she walked straight toward the school gate without looking to either side, passing by Ruoye Mu without hesitation, as if the person standing there was just a stranger.

Even as they brushed past each other, she couldn't help but glance out of the corner of her eye at the direction Ishikawa Mayu had left.

When did Ishikawa Mayu meet Mutsumi? What were they talking about just now?

These questions flashed through her mind, but she quickly suppressed them.

Ruo Yemu was not surprised by this. She simply turned around quietly, like a well-behaved little duck, and followed Xiangzi half a step behind.

The two walked one after the other in the flow of students leaving school, maintaining a subtle distance, neither speaking. Xiangzi deliberately quickened her pace, hoping to leave this crowded and conspicuous place as soon as possible. She didn't understand Mu's sudden visit today, but at this moment, she only hoped not to attract anyone's attention.

Chapter Forty-One: May Each Be Well

A faint aroma of coffee wafts through Yuzawa Coffee Shop.

Toyokawa Shoko took a small sip of her coffee, savoring the rich aroma spreading across her tongue.

It's been... a long time since I've had coffee like this.

Why did you come here without permission?

Toyokawa Shoko put down her cup, her tone calm yet carrying an undeniable air of accusation.

Ruoye Mu looked down at the drink in front of her: "Because you don't reply to my messages."

"I told you, don't tell anyone about my situation." Xiangzi's voice tightened slightly.

"I didn't tell anyone."

"What you did was so obvious, it's no different than saying it out loud. All your efforts have been wasted!"

After a brief silence, Xiangzi took another sip of coffee and said softly, as if to ease the atmosphere, "It's really delicious."

Su Shi is very worried about you.

It's that woman again. She hasn't given up harassing me. My rare good mood for coffee has been ruined.

"Just tell her I've moved."

Toyokawa Shoko's voice carried obvious dissatisfaction.

Ruoye Mu lowered her head and sipped the drink in front of her.

Seeing her aggrieved expression, Toyokawa Shoko sighed softly: "But you can't just lie to people like this, can you?"

She paused slightly, as if asking casually, "What did Ishikawa... uh, that boy say to you just now?"

Ruo Yemu was slightly taken aback by the surname she blurted out, but still answered truthfully, "He asked if I was waiting for the light. Then he suddenly mentioned your name..."

Xiangzi's fingers tightened instantly, his knuckles turning slightly white.

"How would he know about your relationship with Deng?" Xiangzi's voice unconsciously rose a few decibels.

Mu gently shook her head: "I don't know. But he seems... to know you."

"What else did he say to you?" Xiangzi tried to keep his voice calm, but it didn't seem to be that easy.

"He asked me if I was waiting for you, and then he ran away in a panic."

Mu answered truthfully, a hint of confusion in his golden eyes, "He seems... afraid to see you."

afraid?

What is he afraid of? Is he afraid of getting involved with me?

Toyokawa Shoko remained silent, offering no response, but instead downed the rest of her coffee in one gulp, the bitter aftertaste lingering on her tongue.

She didn't want to discuss it anymore.

She gently set down the cup, then abruptly changed the subject, saying, "You shouldn't be someone else's mouthpiece."

Just as she picked up the receipt to leave, Mu seemed to suddenly remember something and added softly:

“Su Shi… mentioned this name before.”

Xiangzi stopped in her tracks. She didn't turn around, but her fingers gripping the receipt tightened suddenly, the edge of the paper digging deep into her palm.