People in Mygo are emotional firefighters.

Did that boy named Mu from this afternoon say something to her?

Ishikawa Mayu was certain that this sudden connection was definitely related to that awkward encounter at the school gate.

However, now is clearly not the time to deal with this.

He turned his head slightly, and Su Shi stood beside him, holding the can of mocha he had prepared for Deng, looking at him with a puzzled expression.

"What's wrong?" Nagasaki Motoyo asked softly.

“It’s nothing,” he said, his fingertip twitching slightly as he subtly swiped away the message preview. “It was just an insignificant push notification.”

Walk back the way you came.

Perhaps because Ishikawa Mayu's earlier words, "I'll wait and see," gave Su Shi a vague promise, the atmosphere on the way back was no longer as silent as it had been on the way there.

Occasionally, Su Shi would whisper a few words about the nearby shops, and Ishikawa Mayu would respond briefly but also chime in.

The evening breeze, carrying the coolness unique to early summer nights, dispelled some of the complex emotions lingering between the two.

When they returned to the northwest steps, they could see Gao Songdeng had already arrived from afar.

She sat quietly next to Chihaya Aine, her head bowed, while Aine leaned close to her, softly comforting her.

The two seemed so engrossed in their conversation that they didn't even notice Ishikawa Mayu and Nagasaki Motoyo approaching.

"...I can feel that when you play in the band, you're really happy, right?" Chihaya Aine's voice came through, not as cheerful as usual, but with a touch of gentle understanding.

However, Takamatsu Akari was so deeply involved in this matter that even with Aine's gentle reassurance, she still hugged her knees, her voice muffled:

"It's...it's my fault...I'm the one who caused Crychic to disband..."

"How could it be the light's fault!" Aine immediately retorted, her tone tinged with indignation on her behalf. "I think it's clearly the girl who suddenly left the group without even giving a proper reason who's at fault! Just abandoning everyone like that is so selfish! That's why you've all suffered so much..."

Ishikawa Mayu keenly noticed that Suze, who was walking beside him, stiffened the moment she heard Aine's words. She almost immediately quickened her pace, passed him, and stood in front of the two on the steps, interrupting Aine's speech.

Her chest heaved slightly, clearly indicating some emotional turmoil, but when she spoke, her voice tried to maintain its usual gentleness, yet carried an undeniable firmness:

"Xiao Xiang... isn't wrong either."

As she spoke, she gently sat down next to the lamp, her gaze sweeping over the somewhat bewildered Ai Yin before finally settling on the lamp, whose head was still bowed.

"This is no one's fault."

She repeated herself softly, as if trying to persuade everyone present, and perhaps even herself.

Then, as if to change the subject, she naturally took the warm can of mocha coffee from Ishikawa Mayu's hand, handed it to the lamp, and her usual gentle and polite smile returned to her face:

"Long time no see, Little Lamp. Here, you must be drinking mocha, right?"

Deng buried her head almost in her knees, her shoulders trembling slightly, her voice trembling with obvious sobs: "If it wasn't anyone's fault... then why... why did Crychic disband..."

Her question was like a needle, piercing the calm that Su Shi had been trying so hard to maintain. Before anyone could react, Deng suddenly grabbed her bag, stood up, and ran away without looking back, her slender figure quickly disappearing into the night.

"Little lamp!"

Su Shi instinctively wanted to chase after him, but Ishikawa Mayu gently pulled her wrist.

"Let her have some peace and quiet. Even if we chase after her now, she won't listen to us."

Su Shi gazed in the direction where the lights had disappeared, the mocha in her hand still warm from being served. She slowly lowered her head, her long hair falling down to obscure her expression, only her slightly trembling shoulders revealing her current mood.

Chihaya Aine was gazing in the direction the light had gone, her brows furrowed with worry. But the next second, she puffed out her cheeks slightly and gave Nagasaki Motoyo a subtle glare, her eyes clearly saying, "I finally managed to calm her down a bit..."

Having calmed herself, Su Shi sat down on the steps, placing her hands clasped on her knees. She turned her head slightly and gave the two people beside her a somewhat tired, yet still gentle, smile:

"Thank you," her voice was soft, like a night breeze, "Thanks to you, I was able to... talk to Xiaodeng again after so long."

Chihaya Aine lowered her head, her voice muffled: "Kiruka said it was her fault..."

“Yes…” Su Shi’s gaze drifted blankly into the distance. “Why is that? I wonder what everyone thinks…”

Ishikawa Mayu sighed silently in his heart, recalling the image of Xiangzi crying on that rainy night.

This really can't be blamed on anyone. After all, even if Xiangzi had told the truth back then, it would have only made everyone more worried.

Fate is cruel...

Lost in her own thoughts, Su Shi continued softly, "After that, Xiao Xiang disappeared without a trace. We don't know where she is now..."

"Huh?" Chihaya Aine suddenly looked up, as if she had suddenly realized something, and blinked blankly.

Ishikawa Mayu's heart sank suddenly, and he knew something was wrong.

How could he forget? It was Aine who excitedly reported on LINE that she had discovered the "blue-haired keyboardist"! He instinctively reached out to grab Aine's wrist, trying to stop her from blurting out—

But it's too late.

"You mean that keyboardist? She's at our school now."

"At... Yuqiu?"

Nagasaki Motoyo suddenly looked at Chihaya Aine.

Chihaya Aine was a little confused by Nagasaki Motoyo's sudden action, but she still nodded.

"I saw her in the band activity room before, and she played the piano incredibly well!"

Nagasaki Motoyo didn't speak again, but she silently gripped the unserved coffee in her hand tightly, muttering to herself in a voice almost only she could hear:

"I see, she's in Yuqiu..."

In a corner unnoticed by either of them, Ishikawa Mayu silently raised his hand to his forehead, feeling as if he had put on a mask of pain.

How could things have turned out like this!

Chapter 46 (Two Chapters Combined) Long Time No See, Xiangzi

In the evening, Ishikawa Mayu returned home and casually tossed her schoolbag onto the sofa.

The room was completely silent, with only the faint noise of the city coming from outside the window.

He opened the almost forgotten chat interface. At the top was a message he had just received at the convenience store.

Toyokawa Shoko

Below this new message, the most recent historical record is still a New Year's greeting from almost half a year ago.

Back then, they would still send each other simple "Happy New Year" messages. Although a distance could be felt between them, at least they were still in contact.

He opened the message he had hastily skipped over in the convenience store that afternoon.

Do you know Motoyo Nagasaki?

Ishikawa Mayu was stunned.

How could Xiangzi know that he knew Nagasaki Motoyo?

Reviewing his brief conversation with Wakaba Mutsu in his mind that afternoon, he was quite certain that he had never mentioned the name "Nagasaki Motoyo" from beginning to end.

So, how did Xiangzi find out?

If this had happened before, receiving such a questioning message from Xiangzi might have stirred a long-lost emotion within him—perhaps nostalgia, perhaps regret.

But at this moment, Su Shi had already confirmed through Aine's words that Xiangzi was indeed behind Yuqiu...

He felt a strange sense of guilt, accompanied by a premonition that "things are completely out of control," which suddenly gripped him.

Yes, I know him.

The reply popped up almost the instant the message was marked as read.

Please don't tell Su Shi that I'm in Yuqiu.

Ishikawa Mayu stared at the words, his movements completely halting. The light from his phone screen illuminated his stiff face. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but found himself unable to utter a single word.

What kind of nonsense is this...?

One desperately tries to hide, the other desperately seeks. And he, caught in the middle, knows both secrets but is powerless to prevent this inevitable clash.

He recalled Su Shi's empty yet persistent eyes on the steps, and the dejection she felt when she murmured, "Xiao Xiang is nowhere to be found."

He also recalled Xiangzi's silent figure as he shouldered everything alone, and her tears of despair on that rainy day.

Fingertips fall.

It's too late.

The message was instantly marked as read.

Then, the "The other party is typing..." message at the top of the chat interface appeared and disappeared repeatedly for a long time.

But in the end, Toyokawa Shoko never sent any further replies.

Only those two words, "It's too late," remained alone on the screen.

…………

Due to the adjustment of the Golden Week holiday schedule, there is only one day off on Sunday this weekend, so even if everyone is unwilling, they still have to go to school on May 11th.

In the afternoon, there were only ten minutes left before the school bell rang.

Most of the students were already somewhat distracted, and the sounds of packing up their stationery and whispering filled the air, brewing a restless atmosphere as school was about to end.

Toyokawa Shoko sat upright in her seat, her textbook open in front of her, not a single page turned.

Her back was ramrod straight, her hands were placed under the table, but her fingertips were digging into her palms, leaving shallow crescent-shaped marks.

Motoyo found out. That obsessive, almost frighteningly persistent Motoyo from Nagasaki knew she was in Haneoka.

What will Su Shi do next? She was a little afraid to imagine.

She had to do something; she couldn't just sit and wait to die.

Therefore, the only person she could look for was Ishikawa Mayu.

This realization made her feel a tightness in her chest.

She didn't want to have anything more to do with him, the one who witnessed everything when she was at her lowest point, and who acted superior when she tried to maintain her dignity...

But now, he seems to be the only one who can provide information and may even become a buffer zone.

The school bell finally shattered the silence in the classroom.

Almost simultaneously, Xiangzi stood up abruptly, his movements so fast that he knocked over his chair, drawing surprised glances from his classmates.

She didn't bother to help him up. Instead, she picked up her already packed schoolbag and strode to the classroom of Class 1-A. Leaning against the corridor wall, slightly out of breath, she felt like a prisoner awaiting judgment, or a hunter preparing to strike.

My heart was pounding uncontrollably in my chest.

The back door of Class 1-A was pushed open, and Takamatsu Akari, clutching her schoolbag, ran out quickly like a startled little rabbit, heading straight towards the Astronomy Club.

Immediately afterward, Chihaya Aine also came out, her face showing obvious worry.

Seeing this scene, a faint sense of comfort, which even she herself did not notice, flashed through Toyokawa Shoko's heart.

At least, there are still people around Deng who care about her.

As if guided by some unseen force, as the pink-haired girl passed by, Xiangzi spoke softly, his tone deliberately flat:

"Aiyin, have you found the band members yet?" What she really wanted to ask was, how is the lamp? Is she feeling any better?

Aine suddenly stopped, looking at Xiangzi leaning against the wall with some surprise. After hesitating for a moment, she nodded: "Yeah... now there's Mayu, and..."

She paused, keenly noticing the sudden tightening of Xiangzi's jawline, and deliberately uttered that name, "...Nagasaki Motoyo-san."

The name "Nagasaki Motoyo" struck Toyokawa Shoko like a thunderbolt.

Her face turned pale at a visible speed, and she managed a stiff smile, her voice dry: "...I see."

Looking at her instantly pale face and that smile that was more like crying, Ai Yin felt even more confused because of Su Shi's words yesterday.

She wanted to say something more, but remembering the lights still running ahead, she could only say, "Sorry, I have to go now!" and hurriedly chased after them.

As soon as Aine's figure disappeared around the corner of the corridor, Ishikawa Mayu walked out of the classroom at a leisurely pace.

He spotted Toyokawa Shoko leaning against the wall with an icy expression at a glance, and sighed inwardly, "What's meant to happen will happen."

Xiangzi stepped forward and blocked his way precisely, raising his sharp eyes to stare coldly at him.

“Ishikawa,” her voice was devoid of warmth, filled with suppressed anger and accusation, “let’s talk. Now.”

Looking at the icy face before her, Ishikawa Mayu felt a complex mix of emotions. It overlapped with the image of the vulnerable, helpless girl in the rainy night, meticulously calculating her living expenses in her cramped apartment.

What stands between them is probably not just time and distance.

"Understood," he replied calmly, not avoiding her cold gaze. He took out his phone and sent Ai Yin a message on LINE: [You chat with Deng first; I have some things to take care of today.]