People in Mygo are emotional firefighters.

She gently pressed her fingers under her eyes and rubbed her cheeks to make her complexion look rosier. Although she knew that Zhenyu wouldn't care about these details, she still hoped that she could appear in front of him in the best possible condition.

After doing all that, she looked in the mirror and flashed a bright, practiced smile, her eyes curving into beautiful crescents: "Hmm! I look so much more energetic now!"

After nodding in satisfaction at her own state, her gaze fell on the slightly messy sofa and table.

Although Zhenyu wasn't an outsider, seeing such a messy lounge made him feel... a little embarrassed.

She quickly put the scattered cushions back in their place and tidied up the empty water cups and snack wrappers in the trash can, making the lounge look much neater.

His movements were light and quick, even with a barely perceptible humming rhythm, clearly indicating that he was in a very good mood.

After finishing all this, she looked around the much tidier lounge, clapped her hands, and gave a smug "Done!" look to her face.

Judging that the time should be about right, Junda Mana couldn't contain her excitement and quietly slipped out of the lounge, deciding to wait in the lobby downstairs.

That way, as soon as Zhenyu arrives, she can receive his... donuts right away!

The lobby on the first floor was brightly lit, but it was quiet now that the rush hour was over.

Mana leaned against the front desk, chatting casually with the staff next to her, but her toes unconsciously tapped the ground lightly, and her gaze kept drifting towards the automatic glass door, clearly looking absent-minded.

Just as her mind was filled with images of various donuts, the automatic door slid open with a "whoosh".

A familiar figure walked in.

Ishikawa Mayu was still the same as before, wearing the Haneoka school uniform, with a violin case slung over her shoulder and a suspicious-looking paper bag with the logo of a famous donut shop printed on it.

"Mana! Over here!" Mana immediately lit up like a summoned puppy, waving her hand vigorously with small movements and a big smile on her face, completely forgetting her composure as an "idol".

Chapter Sixty-Six (3k) Bad Guy

"Mayu! Here, here!"

Ishikawa Mayu looked in the direction of the sound and saw Junta Mana standing by the front desk, her face beaming with undisguised joy that was almost overflowing.

He's clearly a high-quality idol with excellent image and temperament, but when I see him, I act like a kid who's finally waiting for their parents to pick them up.

He felt somewhat helpless, but still waved the paper bag with the eye-catching logo in his hand at Mana.

Sure enough, Mana's already bright eyes widened instantly, all her attention seemingly drawn to the bag, and she even unconsciously swallowed.

"Let's go upstairs." He chuckled, dodging Mana's outstretched hand, and switched the paper bag to the hand a little further away from her.

"Okay, okay!" Mana nodded hurriedly, like a little animal being led, following closely beside him, her eyes still glued to the paper bag.

The elevator slowly ascended, and for the moment, only the faint sound of the machine running could be heard in the cramped space.

Mana was unusually quiet, only occasionally glancing out of the corner of her eye at the bag that Ishikawa Mayu was holding steadily in her hand, her fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of her clothes, looking like she was trying hard to hold back her emotions.

Ishikawa Mayu took in all her little actions, remaining outwardly calm but inwardly finding them somewhat amusing.

The elevator doors opened with a "ding," and Mana was almost the first to dart out. She expertly opened the door to the lounge, pulled him in, and then quickly closed the door behind her, all in one smooth motion.

"Now! Now you can open it!" She turned around, clasped her hands together, blinked at him, and used her best idol-like tone, which was slightly coquettish, with all her attention focused on the single paper bag.

Ishikawa Mayu stopped teasing her and handed her the paper bag.

Mana practically snatched the paper bag and quickly tore it open. When she saw the giant donut inside, almost as big as her face, covered in thick chocolate sauce and colorful sprinkles, she let out a small, blissful gasp.

"Wow--!"

She immediately found a comfortable spot on the sofa, carefully took out the "huge object," and without hesitation opened her mouth wide and took a big, solid bite.

"Well--!"

The rich, sweet aroma explodes in your mouth instantly, the crispy outer shell and soft interior creating a wonderful texture, combined with the rich chocolate sauce and the granular texture of the sugar sprinkles...

Mana squinted her eyes contentedly, her cheeks bulging, as if she were enveloped in bubbles of happiness.

Ishikawa Mayu sat down next to her, and seeing her completely unladylike appearance, her mood unconsciously lightened a bit.

However, under his quiet gaze, Junda Mana gradually slowed down her chewing.

Although she knew that Mayu wouldn't mind, her professional instincts as an idol made her belatedly feel a little embarrassed about her "unrestrained" eating habits.

She blinked, broke the remaining half of the donut in half, and handed the larger piece—which looked to have thicker frosting and more chocolate sauce—to Ishikawa Mayu with a bright, "Sharing is caring" smile. "I'll share half with you!"

Ishikawa Mayu looked at the donut that was almost shoved into her face, instinctively tilted her head back, and decisively refused.

"No, I'm not hungry."

He had just had dinner at home with Su Shi, and he really didn't have much of an appetite.

"Hey—how could this happen!"

Junta Mana immediately pouted in dissatisfaction, stretching her arm holding the donut forward even further, almost touching his lips, as if determined not to give up until she got what she wanted.

"No way! Good things should be shared! And we should all get fat together! Shinba-kun can't stay handsome all by himself and make me bear the risk of getting rounder all by myself!"

"...Just one bite."

Ishikawa Mayu had no choice but to compromise.

"Yay!" Mana immediately beamed, as if she had won a battle. She carefully moved the half of the donut forward a little further to make sure he could easily bite into it.

Ishikawa Mayu accepted Mana's offer and took a small, symbolic bite; it tasted good...

"Hehe, that's more like it!"

Mana withdrew her hand contentedly, looking at the donut that Mayu had taken a small bite out of, as if it had left some interesting mark, before happily continuing to enjoy her own share of "happiness".

She sipped the food slowly, then asked indistinctly, "Hmm... speaking of which, why did you suddenly remember me today, Mr. Zhenyu? And why did you kindly bring 'offerings'?"

Seeing the chocolate sauce on her nose, Ishikawa Mayu reached into the paper bag, took out a tissue, and handed it to her.

"Of course, we will continue to apply for the rights to cover your songs."

Junda Mana looked at Ishikawa Mayu with some confusion, her cheeks still puffed out: "Why don't you just ask me on LINE or contact the person in charge? Why did you have to make a special trip?"

Based on her understanding of Ishikawa Mayu, this guy would never go to the trouble of going anywhere else if he could solve the problem online; he was a typical "energy-saving enthusiast."

Upon hearing this, Ishikawa Mayu turned his head to look at her, and the corners of his mouth curved upwards almost imperceptibly.

"Another reason for coming is to visit you on set. I thought you worked so hard, so I brought you some dessert to reward you."

Junda Mana's eyes lit up instantly, like stars that had been lit up.

"Really? Hehe!" She immediately beamed, making no attempt to hide her joy, as if she had received some great recognition. "At least you still have some conscience! You know I work hard!"

She shook her head triumphantly, and to express this pure joy, she even felt that the donut in her hand smelled better, so she took another big, fierce bite.

"Since you're so sensible, I'll take care of the copyright issue! I promise I'll get it sorted out for you! By the way, is this cover the same as before?"

A subtle pause appeared on Ishikawa Mayu's face. He didn't give a definite answer immediately, which was unusual for him. His gaze wandered, as if he was considering his words.

“Well… this application is actually to have a backup plan.” He organized his thoughts, speaking a little slower than usual, “I recently… joined a band.”

"Pfft—cough cough cough!"

Junda Mana was so shocked by the sudden news that she choked for a moment, then quickly patted her chest, staring wide-eyed at Ishikawa Mayu with disbelief written all over her face.

"A band?! You?!"

Her voice rose in surprise, and she even forgot to maintain her idol's sweet tone. This shocked her even more than when she heard that the company was going to give her a year off.

Ishikawa Mayu's face darkened. This stereotype about him was way too strong!

It can't be considered wrong, though.

"The band has just been formed and doesn't have any original songs yet. I was thinking that if we don't have any suitable practice songs or need to warm up the crowd, we can cover some mature songs as a transition. If we don't end up using them, I'll cover and release them myself as usual."

Ishikawa Mayu ignored her surprise and instead proceeded to explain her intentions.

Junda Mana was still in shock, looking Ishikawa Mayu up and down as if she were getting to know her all over again.

"Oh my god... Zhenyu-kun, you've changed!" She shook her head, her tone exaggerated with emotion, but her eyes were full of curiosity and inquiry. "You actually think so much about the band and even actively expand your social circle... This is so unlike you!"

She leaned closer, a sly smile on her face, and nudged him lightly with her elbow: "Tell me, what kind of band is it? What are the band members like? You weren't dragged in by some overly enthusiastic girl, were you?"

Her mind had already started automatically playing out certain idol drama plots.

Ishikawa Mayu was taken aback by her guess and instinctively wanted to refute it, but then realized that the truth seemed to be... indeed so.

He coughed slightly, somewhat awkwardly, trying to change the subject.

"Speaking of which, one of our lead singers is a huge fan of Sumi."

Junta Mana, who was biting into a donut, paused when she heard this, blinked curiously, and gestured for him to continue. As an idol, she was always happy to hear that she had fans.

"She really likes your 'Here the World'."

Ishikawa Mayu recalled that day in the karaoke room, under the colorful lights, Chihaya Aine stood in front of the screen, and as the song played, she gave a bright smile full of gentleness and encouragement to the somewhat gloomy Takamatsu Tō.

His originally somewhat cold voice seemed to be infused with a very subtle warmth, which even he himself was unaware of, because of this memory.

Mana Junda unconsciously slowed down her chewing.

She looked at Ishikawa Mayu's profile; when he mentioned the "lead singer," his eyes seemed to be filled with tenderness.

A sense of inquiry, which even she herself had not clearly understood, crept into her heart.

"For our Ishikawa-kun to be so invested, even going so far as to apply for the cover song rights just for her... this lead singer must be quite special, right?"

Ishikawa Mayu was somewhat embarrassed by Junda Mana's overly direct probing. He subconsciously avoided her burning gaze, picked up the water that Mana had poured for him earlier, which had already gone cold, and took a sip, trying to hide his awkwardness for a moment.

“Just… an ordinary teammate,” he replied vaguely, his voice lower than before. “And the application to do a cover song was for the sake of the band as a whole, not just for any one person.”

Junda Mana knew when to stop and didn't press the matter further.

She finished the last bite of the donut with satisfaction, licked the frosting off her fingertips, and let out a contented sigh.

"Okay, okay, I'm just teasing you." She said with a grin, "Leave the cover song rights to me, I guarantee there won't be any problems! Good luck to your band, maybe we can even perform together in the future!"

Seeing her regain her energy, Ishikawa Mayu nodded: "Yeah, thanks."

He walked to the door, put his hand on the doorknob, paused for a moment, and then turned back to say, "Take care of yourself and protect your voice."

His tone had returned to its usual calm, but his concern remained genuine.

"Okay, okay, you nag." She waved her hand, her tone as affectionate as ever. "Be careful on the road! Next time..." She paused, looked up, and tried to make her smile as bright and cheerful as ever, "...remember to bring double the 'offerings'!"

After the door closed, Junta Mana curled up back into the sofa, hugged a cushion, and rested her chin on the soft fabric.

"The band...the lead singer...humph."

She gave a soft hum, the sound muffled by the cushion, so low that only she could hear it.

Her voice carried a hint of relief that "my child has finally come to his senses," and... a faint trace of melancholy, like the night outside the window, that she herself was unwilling to delve into or name.

She remained in that position, motionless, for a while, until she felt her cheeks getting hot from the fabric. Then she suddenly raised her head and shook it vigorously, as if that would shake off all her messy thoughts.

My gaze fell on the empty cardboard box and packaging bag with the donut shop's logo on the coffee table in front of me, with some sugar frosting crumbs still inside.

She extended her index finger, unconsciously picked up a small crumb, and put it in her mouth.

The sweetness was still there, but it seemed... not as delightful as before.

"That bad guy."

Chapter Sixty-Seven: An Encounter with a Barrel

The streets at night were adorned with vibrant neon lights, and the cool breeze of early summer brushed against my face, slightly dispelling the cloying sweetness I had picked up in the office lounge earlier.

Ishikawa Mayu rode her motorcycle at a leisurely pace through the streets on her way back to her apartment.

The city lights flashed past me, forming dazzling ribbons of light.

It's rare to see him still out so late. But undeniably, Tokyo's night view is quite nice.

However, the tranquility of the night did not last long.

Just as he turned the corner in front of a convenience store, a slightly noisy argument caught his attention.

Hey! Uncle, watch where you're going!

"I'm...sorry...hiccup..."

A middle-aged man in wrinkled clothes, staggering slightly, was leaning against a lamppost, vaguely apologizing to a young passerby he had almost bumped into. The strong smell of alcohol could be faintly detected even from a distance.

Ishikawa Mayu's gaze lingered on the middle-aged man's face for a moment, his brows furrowing almost imperceptibly.

It was Toyokawa Kiyoshi, Shoko's father.

Seeing that Toyokawa Kiyoshi's steps were unsteady and he was about to collapse, and that the young passerby who had been hit looked displeased and seemed to want to say something, Ishikawa Mayu sighed softly, slowly parked the motorcycle on the side of the road, and turned off the engine.