People in Mygo are emotional firefighters.

She turned and walked toward the door, with Ishikawa Mayu following behind.

Just as he was about to close the activity room door, Xiangzi suddenly stopped.

“…Tomorrow is lunch break,” she said without turning around, her voice soft yet clear to him, “If you’re free…you can come over.”

Ishikawa Mayu paused, his hand on the doorknob pausing, and turned to look at her. Shoko still didn't meet his gaze, her eyes fixed on the tips of her shoes, her fingers unconsciously curling slightly.

"Mm," he responded, his voice noticeably gentle. "I understand."

Chapter Seventy-One: Mr. Knight

Ishikawa Mayu, carrying her schoolbag, slipped in silently through the back door.

Most students were still enjoying the last moments of their lunch break, chatting and laughing in small groups or taking a nap on their desks.

He returned to his seat, casually stuffed his backpack into the desk drawer, and then slumped weakly onto the desk, feeling as if his bones had been removed.

The intense social interactions over the past few days have truly taken a toll on his mental and physical well-being.

The afternoon weariness washed over him like a tide, mixed with worry about Xiangzi's situation, leaving a lingering trace of fatigue between his brows.

My eyelids were getting heavy, but reason told me that there was little time left for lunch break and the bell could ring at any moment, so it was not a wise thing to lie down and take a nap now.

He sighed softly, but the cool surface of the table did little to calm his turbulent thoughts.

Forget it, let's see what that always overly energetic guy is up to.

Ishikawa Mayu thought to herself.

Sometimes, just looking at Chihaya Aine's energetic appearance can make him feel inexplicably relaxed.

He remained prone, tilting his head to the side, his gaze passing over the aisle in the middle, landing on the seat to the right that belonged to Chihaya Aine.

The sight that came into view made him pause for a moment.

Chihaya Aine was in almost the exact same pose as him—her arms were crossed and resting on the table, her cheek was pressed against the crook of her arm, and her pink hair fell smoothly down her cheek.

And those silver-gray eyes, always sparkling, were now staring at him intently, without blinking.

Their eyes met unexpectedly across a narrow passageway in the lazy afternoon air.

It felt as if a tiny electric current was coursing through the air.

Chihaya Aine didn't immediately look away. After the initial panic, a sly glint flashed in her eyes, and in that position, she gently winked her right eye at Ishikawa Mayu.

It was a wink that was both mischievous and a little smug.

Ishikawa Mayu subconsciously tried to look away to hide the sudden, subtle imbalance in her heartbeat, but her body simply didn't want to move.

Ai Yin looked at his embarrassed appearance and chuckled to herself, her shoulders swaying slightly.

Then she spoke softly, her voice as light as a feather, yet clearly drifting through the corridor and reaching his ears:

"Gotcha, Mayu-kun."

"Why aren't you resting? What are you spying on?"

"...I didn't peek." Ishikawa Mayu instinctively retorted, his voice muffled from lying down. He buried his face even deeper in his arms, revealing only his eyes, which also looked listless from exhaustion.

"Really? Well then, let's say you didn't peek."

She drew out her words, readily letting him off the hook, then softened her voice and asked softly.

"Mayu-kun? Are you tired? You seem to be very busy these past few days, and I never see you during lunch break."

Her gaze fell on the lingering weariness between Ishikawa Mayu's brows, and Chihaya Aine's slight resentment from not having spent much time together for the past few days transformed into pure concern.

"Um... it's okay if it's inconvenient to say! I'm just... a little worried about you."

Ishikawa Mayu gently shook her head.

He hadn't intended to hide it from her, but things had been complicated these past few days, and given his usual "energy-saving" mode, he felt there was no need to bring it up and cause her unnecessary worry.

But now she asked.

He remained prone, only slightly adjusting the angle so he could see her more clearly on the other side of the aisle.

“There’s nothing inconvenient to say.” He spoke, his voice still a little muffled because of his posture, but very clear. “I went to find Toyokawa Shoko, the blue-haired keyboardist you met the other day, Su Shi and the others’ former teammate.”

"Do you remember the day before yesterday, I mentioned to you that Su Shi wasn't feeling well?"

Chihaya Aine nodded her little head, a look of inquiry on her face. She had been curious about this question that day, but she had been too busy to ask.

"Xiangzi and I used to be... Xiangzi and I were friends. That day, there was some misunderstanding between her and Su Shi. I wanted to see if I could do something about it."

He paused, carefully choosing his words, aiming to be as honest as possible with Ai Yin without revealing any private information.

"Xiangzi hasn't been doing well these past few days. I just go to keep her company and talk to her, or listen to her play the piano."

He reported his whereabouts at school for several days to the girl who had been paying attention to him.

"Things are a bit... complicated," he added at the end, the weariness from worry resurfacing between his brows. "So it's definitely been a bit mentally taxing."

He finished speaking and quietly looked at Aine, waiting for her reaction.

Just then, Takamatsu Akari, who was sitting in the seat in front of Ishikawa Mayu, suddenly turned around quickly.

The movements were very light, almost silent, and a hint of concern lingered in his light brown eyes.

The lamp didn't speak, but simply extended her slender fingers and gently placed a band-aid into Ishikawa Mayu's palm.

She had actually been listening intently to the conversation behind her.

Because she, like Aine, was also concerned about Mayu's condition, but she wasn't as bold and direct as Aine.

However, after hearing Mayu's weary voice, Akari still chose to comfort her in her own way.

After doing all this, she immediately turned around and became that quiet figure again, with only her slightly reddened ear tips revealing her inner turmoil.

Ishikawa Mayu's gaze shifted from Aine's face to the band-aid beside her, and the taut string in her heart seemed to be gently plucked by this silent care.

Chihaya Aine saw his honesty, his exhaustion, and Akari's unique comfort.

The slight resentment she felt for not being "shared" with for a few days was instantly replaced by a more overwhelming emotion—the warmth of being trusted and the heartache she felt seeing him bear the burden alone.

She didn't press for the specific details of the "complexity," nor did she complain about why he hadn't told her sooner. She simply accepted his honesty and expressed her understanding.

“I see…” she said softly, her silver-gray eyes shimmering with a gentle light. “So, Mamoru-kun went to become a knight, to help friends in need, right?”

This metaphor, with its touch of Chihaya Aine's unique romanticism, wonderfully soothed Ishikawa Mayu's feelings at that moment.

She looked at the weariness in his eyes, and lowered her voice even further, as if a feather had brushed against her heart:

"That must have been very hard."

“However,” Chihaya Aine suddenly blinked again, trying to lighten the heavy atmosphere, a warm smile like sunshine breaking through the clouds appeared on her lips, “now I’m here with Akari! We’re all here.”

She leaned forward slightly, gently tapping the band-aid beside him with her finger, then pointing to her own heart, her eyes resolute and bright:

"So, it's alright if you rely on us a little, Mr. Knight."

Even if it's just putting a band-aid on you, or just listening to you talk... we can help you replenish your 'energy'!

Chapter 72 Behind-the-Scenes Filming

Even after school ended, the warmth of being understood and cared for during lunch break still lingered in my heart, but even so, the first rehearsal could not be delayed.

When Ishikawa Mayu pushed open the door to the practice room, Shiina Tatsuki was already there. She was facing away from the door, bending over to adjust the angle of her hi-hat. When she heard the door open, she just clicked her tongue without turning her head as a greeting.

Normally, Ishikawa Mayu would probably just give a lazy reply.

However, he was in a good mood today, and even spoke up, which was unusual for him, and his voice was clearer than usual.

Good afternoon, Lixi.

Lixi was somewhat surprised that this guy would actually greet her properly. She didn't turn around, but just made a muffled "hmm" from her nose as a response, but her previously slightly tense shoulders seemed to relax a little.

Almost simultaneously, Nagasaki Motoyo walked in, a perfectly gentle smile on her face: "Good afternoon, Riki, Masahiro-kun."

She glanced around the room, then naturally walked to the corner where items were piled up. As if nothing had happened, she gently pushed the handbag that Ishikawa Mayu had just put down to the corner closest to the wall, and then smoothly placed her violin case and handbag next to it.

As a result, there was no room left for other personal items on the side of Zhenyu's handbag.

"Sorry I'm late!"

Chihaya Aine's energetic voice rang out as the door opened, and she walked in hand in hand with Takamatsu Akari.

She spotted Ishikawa Mayu in the corner at a glance, her eyes lit up, and she was about to go over as usual when her gaze fell on the spot next to him that was tightly "protected" by Su Shi's guitar bag. Her steps faltered slightly, her lips pursed, but she quickly perked up and placed her guitar bag in an empty spot a little further away.

As always, Takamatsu Akari remained quiet. She gently pulled away from Aine's hand and silently stood beside Mayu.

When Lixi saw the lamp coming over, he softened his movements as he adjusted the cymbals. Although he still had that cool expression on his face, his eyes softened considerably.

Seeing that most of the members had arrived, while everyone was still organizing their instruments.

Ishikawa Mayu cleared her throat; her voice wasn't loud, but it was loud enough for everyone to hear.

"I plan to... film some behind-the-scenes footage of our practice and upload it to my social media platforms, as a way to... document the band's growth."

Shiina Tatsuki was adjusting the microphone stand for the light bulb when he heard this. Without even looking up, he simply gave an indifferent "oh," clearly not taking it seriously.

For her, anything else was fine as long as it didn't interfere with practice or the lights.

Takamatsu nodded slightly, indicating that he had no objection, and there was even a hint of curiosity in his light brown eyes.

Upon hearing this, Nagasaki Motoyo paused slightly as she adjusted the bass straps. She looked up, a gentle, slightly nostalgic smile on her face, as if recalling some distant, warm memory.

She looked at Ishikawa Mayu and asked softly, "Mayu-kun, do you need my help? I used to manage the Crychic account a little bit before."

Ishikawa Mayu looked at her, his gaze lingering for a moment on her gentle, nostalgic smile, and his eyes softened naturally.

He shook his head slightly, his tone gentler than usual: "Thank you, but you don't need to trouble yourself. I can hold the phone up with a stand myself."

Upon hearing Ishikawa Mayu's polite refusal, the faint glimmer of memory in Nagasaki Motoyo's eyes dimmed almost imperceptibly for a moment. She gently lowered her eyelashes, trying to conceal the fleeting disappointment in her eyes.

“I see…” she replied softly, a hint of melancholy in her voice, unconsciously stroking the bass strings with her fingertips. “That’s true… Masahiro-kun has always been very independent, he can definitely handle this kind of thing.”

"Yes, I can handle it myself. But... if I really run into any trouble, I'll come to you first for help, Su Shi."

Ishikawa Mayu added with a smile that he naturally knew that Su Shi always wanted to do more.

Nagasaki Suze suddenly raised her eyes, and a genuine smile returned to her blue eyes. The smile was even brighter than before, carrying a sense of satisfaction from being cared for and promised.

"Yes! Anytime is fine." She nodded vigorously, her voice returning to its usual soft and cheerful tone, as if the momentary disappointment had never existed.

Chihaya Aine's reaction was the most enthusiastic among the girls present.

"Wow! Want to film a video?!" She almost immediately dropped her guitar, skipped over to Ishikawa Mayu, her silver-gray eyes sparkling with excitement and anticipation.

"Should we design an opening pose? We should choose the coolest parts from the practice clips! Oh, and also, should we add subtitles and special effects?"

She chattered away, her energy almost overflowing the entire practice room, creating a striking and interesting contrast with Lixi's indifference, the quiet of the lamps, and Sushi's gentle nostalgia.

Looking at the pink-haired girl who had instantly ignited in front of her, Ishikawa Mayu rubbed her temples helplessly, but the corners of her mouth curved upwards almost imperceptibly from an angle she couldn't see.

"Alright, alright, you need to pack your equipment before you start filming, okay?" Ishikawa Mayu reminded Aine, who was so excited she was about to jump up and down, while taking out a portable phone stand from her bag.

"Okay!" Ai Yin replied, finally suppressing her excitement for the time being, and ran back to continue tuning her guitar, though she was still humming an off-key melody under her breath, clearly already starting to plan her performance later.

Ishikawa Mayu skillfully mounted his phone on the stand, adjusting the angle so that the camera could cover the central area of ​​the practice room. As he worked, he said, "Before we officially start practicing together, does anyone want to record some individual footage? Like a simple self-introduction or something."

As expected, as soon as he finished speaking, Chihaya Aine was the first to raise her hand, her face beaming with a confident smile: "Me! Me! Me first!"

Holding her guitar, she darted to the center of the frame in a few steps, flashed a bright smile, and waved.

"Hello everyone! I'm Chihaya Aine! I'm the guitarist and lead vocalist in the band! Please take good care of me!"

After speaking, she playfully winked at the camera and made a small peace sign. The whole set of movements was smooth and natural, clearly indicating that she had prepared in advance, or rather, she was born knowing how to attract attention.

Looking at her confident demeanor, Ishikawa Mayu remembered that he had never heard her play the guitar properly before, so he casually suggested, "Since we're already standing here, why don't you play a short piece?"

"No problem!" Ai Yin readily agreed, picking up her electric guitar with a confident stance, her face clearly saying, "Let me show you my skills."

The commotion attracted other people.

Nagasaki Motoyo put down her bass, a gentle smile on her face, and walked lightly to stand beside Ishikawa Mayu.

Takamatsu also quietly moved over from the microphone stand and stood quietly not far from Aine, her light brown eyes curiously looking at the camera, and then secretly glancing at Maya who was operating her phone.

Shiina Tatsuki remained behind the drum set without moving, but she gave him a "I can't do anything with you guys" look and turned her gaze to the center of the camera, landing on Aine.