People in Mygo are emotional firefighters.

"Ama no Gawa", "Anomaly" (abnormal, extraordinary thing), "Ama Gami"...

"And another one! 'Ishion'! How about this one? It sounds both hard and gentle, like..."

She was still excitedly listing her "ingenious" alternative names, each syllable clearly pointing to her connection with Ishikawa Maha, who was sitting next to her.

The lamp listened quietly, its fingers unconsciously clenching the hem of its clothes.

She really liked the phrase "Amanokawa" (the river of heaven), the image of the vast Milky Way filled her with longing, and she also admired Aine, who always tried to shine. But...

When those names seemed to define Mayu-san as an image "belonging only to Aine-san," she felt a slight prick in her heart.

Everyone else present, unless they were particularly oblivious, naturally understood the hint of excitement and selfishness hidden in the pink-haired guy's name.

As for the other party at the heart of this "naming storm," Ishikawa Mayu, at this moment, wished he could bury his head in the ice water in front of him, as this was attracting far too much attention!

Shiina Tatsuki frowned, clearly impatient with this scene of ulterior motives being smuggled in, and even more furious at someone's behavior that completely disregarded the feelings of the person involved.

She took a deep breath, preparing to interrupt this awkward monologue—

"Wait, wait a minute!"

A faint but incredibly clear voice spoke before Shiina Tatsuki could speak.

It's a Takamatsu lamp!

She lowered her head, her cheeks slightly flushed, surprised that she had the courage to refuse Aine's suggestion...

"The name...can we...can we think about it some more...?"

Mayu shouldn't be "monopolized" by Aine like this...

Ishikawa Mayu breathed a sigh of relief and gave Akari a grateful look. Everyone else stared at her in a daze; Takamatsu Akari seemed different in some way.

-----------------

The subsequent discussion naturally yielded no results. Lixi couldn't help but complain, "That's so selfish..." Aiyin retorted loudly, "Why are you always so willful..." Sushi tried to ease the tension with a smile, but Lixi slammed her hand on the table in anger again...

On the surface, Mayu was just like herself, silently observing everyone, only she was a bit lazier, lying on the table like a cat sunbathing.

But Akari knew that Mayu was simply protecting everyone's smiles in his own way.

Ishikawa Mayu noticed Takamatsu Akari's gaze, and although she didn't quite understand the complex emotions flickering in her eyes, she still habitually raised the corners of her mouth and returned a gentle smile.

Gao Songdeng immediately lowered her head shyly, not daring to look him in the eye.

-----------------

As we walked out of RiNG, night had already fallen, and the lights at the entrance cast long shadows of the group.

"Let's keep in touch next time!" Chihaya Aine waved goodbye to everyone.

Despite making a ruckus all afternoon, she surprisingly had a strong voice.

Shiina Tatsuki crossed her arms, her gaze lingering on Ishikawa Mayu for a moment. Her tone, though still carrying its usual impatience, softened slightly: "Didn't you get anything sorted out except for the location... Be more efficient next time."

Gao Songdeng looked at the noisy crowd around her, the evening breeze brushing against her hair.

The sounds of arguments, laughter, and angry complaints, like scattered musical notes, composed a warm melody in her heart.

She clenched her fist slightly.

We can all be like this now, arguing, bickering, and keeping each other company—

Happiness seemed to have descended upon me once again.

Suddenly, she broke free from the habitual protection of Riki and ran back. Under the slightly surprised gazes of Ishikawa Mayu and Chihaya Aine, she first grabbed Ishikawa Mayu's sleeve and then gently grasped Aine's wrist.

Her cheeks flushed in the night as she looked up at them. "Thank you... I... never thought... I could go back... to how things were before..."

Before the two could react, Gao Songdeng quickly let go of her hand, turned around, and ran back to Lixi's side.

When Tatsuki Shiina ran back, her hurried steps immediately stopped, and she waited quietly.

When the lantern was standing next to her again, she first carefully examined the lantern's expression to make sure she was alright before turning her head. She first glared at Chihaya Aine, who was still standing there blinking, with a hint of warning. Then, when her gaze swept over Ishikawa Mayu, although she still habitually frowned, she was less sharp than before, and simply clicked her tongue before turning back.

"Let's go."

Lixi didn't see the face Aiyin made at her, or rather, even if she did, she wouldn't care. She just spoke softly to the lamp.

-----------------

The tram has traveled to several stops; it's time to get off.

Instead of parting ways at the platform, Shiina Ritsuki silently continued walking beside the light, intending to take her home safely before turning back.

The streetlights illuminated the steps leading to the overpass in the residential area, and the night breeze passing through here was much cooler than on the street.

Lixi watched the streaks of light left by the traffic flowing under the bridge. Deng stood quietly half a step away from her. "So, Deng also wants to go back to the band."

After a moment of hesitation, Gao Songdeng nodded slightly: "Mm."

A smile appeared on Li Xi's face, like the first melting of snow: "I see..."

She paused for a moment, then said, "You went to Yuqiu High School."

"Ah."

"If I had gone straight to high school, I could have gone to school with you, right?" There was a hint of regret in Lixi's voice.

If we could walk across this pedestrian bridge with the lights every day, perhaps many things would be different.

Takamatsu gave another soft "hmm".

The car lights under the bridge flickered in her eyes, and she added softly, "It's... good now too."

"In Haneoka... I met Aine-san, and..." Her voice softened, but she clearly uttered that name, "...Mayu-san."

Here we go again. Lixi's fingers tightened slightly as she gripped the railing. Why does Deng like to bring up that guy?

She casually pressed on, her brows furrowing slightly as she habitually asked, "Ishikawa, is he like this in class too? He seems uninterested in anything."

When "Mayu-kun" was mentioned, Takamatsu Akari's eyelashes, which had been hanging down, trembled slightly.

She turned her head slightly, her voice still soft, but with a hint of trying to explain: "Mayu-kun... he just doesn't like to talk much. But... he's very gentle... he's the one who accompanies me in the astronomy club..."

"Is that so..." Li Xi's voice trailed off, clearly dismissive. The image of Ishikawa Mayu flashed through her mind—always languid, seemingly indifferent to everything around her. Gentle? Accompanying her? What kind of spell had this guy cast on Deng?

Moreover, not only did Deng treat that guy with special regard, but Su Shi also seemed to treat him differently, wanting to stand with him when discussing positions.

That pink-haired girl doesn't even act anymore; she wants to associate every syllable of her band name with "Ishikawa Maho"!

Is this some kind of humanoid succubus?

How come he seems to have taken on a strange central position in this small group without her even realizing it? Li hope couldn't help but complain in her heart, a subtle sense of being excluded and anxious made her even more irritable.

Before I could completely suppress my frustration and complaints, my phone vibrated in my pocket.

She pulled it out somewhat impatiently, and the screen lit up; it was that pink-haired girl.

[Aiyin: Meet at RiNG tomorrow at 17 PM! (????)]

Li hope frowned, her fingertips hovering above the screen, about to type "OK" or simply not reply, when she caught a glimpse of the figure beside her moving out of the corner of her eye.

See you next time.

A soft, gentle sound came from behind, and light footsteps passed by her.

Lixi looked up abruptly, the word "wait" almost bursting out—she wanted to ask Ishikawa Mayu what she was like in class, whether she was really as "gentle" as Akari said, or... she just wanted to walk a little further with Akari, even if it was just silently side by side.

But watching the lamplight recede into the distance, and the irritating pink-haired avatar on her phone screen, she ultimately swallowed back the words that were welling up in her mouth. Only a low murmur escaped her throat, almost carried away by the night wind:

"……Um."

The sound was so soft that even she doubted whether the light could hear it.

The night breeze seemed a bit cooler than before.

Lixi put her hands in her coat pockets and slowly walked towards the station. Unconsciously, her mind replayed the conversation on the overpass earlier, and the different light that flickered in Deng's eyes when she mentioned "Mayu-san".

Maya Ishikawa...

She put away her phone and turned to walk towards the station.

Ugh, what a troublesome guy.

Chapter 65 Mana

Just after 8 p.m., the lounge on the third floor of Win-Wing Production was brightly lit, but filled with the weariness of work after a long day.

Mana Junda slumped unceremoniously on the soft sofa, feeling as if all the bones in her body had been removed.

The recording work was more mentally taxing than she had anticipated, especially the need to maintain that perfect, energetic "idol voice" at all times.

"Ah—I can't take it anymore, Chu Hua, I feel like my soul is about to float out of my mouth..." She dragged out her words, complaining weakly to her junior sitting opposite her, who was still elegant, her voice noticeably hoarse.

Misaka Hatsuka put down her thermos, a gentle smile in her purple eyes: "Thank you for your hard work, senior. Your stability in the high notes was especially outstanding today."

"Really? Oh well, I am your senior after all..." Mana was comforted by Hatsuka's praise and was about to cheer up when the screen of her phone, which was placed beside her, suddenly lit up and vibrated slightly.

She lazily reached for her phone, her gaze casually sweeping across the screen.

[Shinba-kun: At the agency?]

Upon seeing the name, Mana's eyes lit up slightly, and her fingers lazily swiped across the screen:

[Yes, yes, I just finished exploiting my juniors. Why did you suddenly remember me?]

The message had barely been sent when the other party's reply popped up:

[I'm conveniently located near the agency, planning to drop by on set? Oh, and I brought you some 'contraband'.]

Upon seeing the words "contraband," Mana sprang up from the sofa, her face instantly lighting up with a bright smile. She knew, of course, that Mayu was referring to her favorite donuts, but she still feigned nonchalance in her reply:

[How dare you tempt your idol to eat such a high-calorie dessert? Do you know what crime that is?]

Ishikawa Mayu's reply was merciless:

"Oh, I see. Then I won't bring it."

"Damn it!!!" Mana couldn't help but let out a cry of despair, her fingers flying across the screen:

I was wrong! Please bring it! (';ω;`)

Watching his senior's complex expressions shift from laziness to excitement to panic, Chu Hua couldn't help but chuckle.

"You seem so happy, senpai... could it be that Ishikawa-kun is coming?"

"That's right, that's right!" Mana nodded vigorously, her face full of undisguised anticipation, her eyes fixed on the phone screen, afraid that the other party might really change their mind.

Sanjiao Chuhua understood immediately.

This Ishikawa-kun seems to be a well-known music content creator on a certain video website, known for his covers of popular songs, and occasionally he will also carefully adapt some popular tracks into Donghuang language versions.

His cover version received an unexpectedly good response in Donghuang, and even boosted the popularity of the original song there.

In order to operate in a formalized manner, he proactively contacted music agencies that held a large number of copyrights to apply for authorization.

Meanwhile, the agency seems to be looking to expand into the Donghuang market. They have their eyes on Ishikawa Mayu's potential among Donghuang listeners and his own good musical talent, so they have given him a lot of convenience. Not only is the authorization process smooth, but they also sometimes provide some official audio sources as support.

Mana-senpai was excited and curious to discover that Ishikawa-kun had covered her song and it had become a minor hit in Donghuang, so she took the initiative to get to know him.

Speaking of which, Ishikawa-kun seems to be a bit socially awkward and not very good at initiating social interactions.

But Senior Mana is a very outgoing person, and she kept pestering him to ask what those Donghuang language fan comments meant, since she herself couldn't understand them at all.

Over time, the two became acquainted. Senior Mana seemed to admire him quite a bit, and would occasionally speak well of him when communicating with higher-ups at the agency.

As for my relationship with that Mr. Ishikawa, it was limited to a purely professional business partnership.

After all, I don't have a naturally cheerful personality like Mana-senpai, who can easily break down other people's defenses, nor would I actively seek to make friends with people outside of my work scope.

Seeing Mana's eager anticipation, even forgetting her fatigue, Hatsuka considerately stood up and picked up her own things.

“Since you have a friend coming, I won’t disturb you any longer,” she said with a smile, her voice gentle. “See you tomorrow, senior.”

"Ah, okay! Hatsuka, you should get some rest too!" Mana looked up, her face still flushed with excitement, and waved to Hatsuka. Her mind was clearly already on the donuts that were about to arrive and the person who brought them.

After Mikasa left, only Mana Junda remained in the lounge.

The excitement on her face hadn't faded; in fact, it became even more pronounced because of being alone.

She hopped over to the full-length mirror on the wall and began to scrutinize herself carefully from head to toe.

"Hmm, my dark circles seem a bit noticeable... after all, I just finished work."