People in Mygo are emotional firefighters.

"Hiss..." She couldn't help but gasp, and subconsciously loosened her grip.

The result was that the guitar emitted another dull, rattling sound.

……

Several minutes passed, and there was very little progress.

"Ah—it's so hard..." Chihaya Aine let out a groan, her straight back instantly collapsing like a deflated balloon as she slumped into the sofa, her guitar casually tossed aside.

As expected... playing the guitar isn't something you can master overnight... your skill level simply won't improve in a short time...

The initial enthusiasm, briefly ignited by Shinba-kun, quickly dissipated in the face of the cold, hard reality.

A sense of frustration and physical exhaustion washed over me.

She lay on the sofa, staring blankly at the ceiling light for a few seconds, then, as if seeking comfort, reached for her tablet and habitually opened her most frequently used video platform.

Almost without thinking, she clicked on the familiar profile picture in her following list—the latest video of her favorite beauty blogger, "Miaomuqin".

"Good evening, meow meow~" Meow's energetic voice came through the headphones in the video.

But Aine seemed lost in thought, her fingers unconsciously twirling the ends of her hair, her mind completely elsewhere from the makeup tutorial.

"What am I going to do if this continues..." she muttered softly, her brows furrowing in distress. The difficulty of the guitar seemed like a mountain looming before her, and images of Li Xi's stern gaze and Le Nai's fluid playing flashed through her mind.

"...Today I'm going to introduce a perfect makeup method that's easy to do! Even beginners can learn it right away!" In the video, Miaomu is enthusiastically promoting a cosmetic product that is touted as "foolproof".

Simple and easy to use...

Ai Yin pondered the word, then her mind raced.

If you can't improve your own skills, can't you at least reduce the pressure of performing...?

A thought, like a cunning vine, crept into her mind. Could she… reduce the difficulty of the guitar parts a little when arranging the piece? That way, she could keep up with everyone else's pace without looking too bad in front of Riki and Lena…

Just as she was indulging in this somewhat "lazy" thought, and even began to make excuses for herself in her mind—

"Ding dong."

A LINE message notification suddenly popped up at the top of the tablet.

From: Zhenyu.

Content: [Aren't you home yet?]

Chihaya Aine's expression froze instantly, as if struck by an invisible lightning bolt.

Oops!

I was so excited just now that all I could think about was the feeling of him holding my hand and his heart-pounding words. I completely forgot about the message "remember to text me when you get home"!

[Aine: We're here! We've been here for ages! (。>︿<) I was just... packing my things!]

The moment she sent the message, she covered her face in frustration. What a terrible excuse!

Almost immediately, Ishikawa Mayu's reply popped up, so fast it startled her.

[Mayu: Hmm.]

[Mayu: How's your guitar practice going?]

Chihaya Aine's finger hovered above the screen, the words "I'm practicing hard!" almost slipping out.

But the lingering, slight stinging sensation on her fingertips from pressing the strings so hard, and the image in her mind of herself collapsing on the sofa, giving up the struggle, made it impossible for her to utter this lie with conviction.

She pouted in frustration, her fingertips hesitantly tapping and deleting on the virtual keyboard several times before finally giving up and sheepishly replying:

[Aiyin: I practiced for a while...it feels so hard, I almost can't continue...I'm watching videos now...]

After sending the message, she stared at the screen with some trepidation, almost able to imagine Ishikawa Mayu's raised eyebrows, a look of helplessness mixed with understanding, when she saw the message.

Sure enough, the screen immediately displayed "The other party is typing...".

Looking at that message, a strange mix of resentment and unwillingness, along with the thought that "I can't let him look down on me," welled up inside her. She puffed out her cheeks, her fingers flying across the keyboard, and before he could reply, she added another message, tinged with a hint of coquetry and playfulness:

[Aine: But! Mayu-kun promised to practice the piano with me! So... so you can't complain that I'm clumsy! And you can't go back on your word!]

send.

She stared intently at the screen, her heart pounding slightly at this almost defiant declaration.

[Mayu-kun: ...]

Chihaya Aine stared at the ambiguous ellipses, and the courage she had just mustered deflated like a punctured balloon, her lips immediately drooping in a pitiful manner.

(What's with this reaction... I guess they still think I'm a hassle...)

Just as her mood began to sink, a new message popped up.

[Mayu: Then wait a minute.]

Ai Yin blinked, not fully understanding the meaning of the sentence, when the next message arrived.

[Mayu: I'll finish my homework and do the post-production rendering of the video I need to work on today, around 8 PM. I'll send you a video so I can watch you practice.]

"—Huh?!"

Chihaya Aine suddenly jumped up from the sofa, almost dropping her tablet.

Videos?! Practice by watching them?!

She subconsciously reached out and touched her slightly messy pink hair, which had become a little disheveled from rolling around on the sofa. Finally, her gaze fell on the guitar that she had left aside, which seemed to be silently accusing her.

[Aiyin: Wait, wait, wait! A video?! Now?!]

[Mayu: What else? Didn't you tell me to practice with you and not to back out? Or were you just talking big?]

He turned the tables on her with his own words, leaving Ai Yin speechless.

[Aine: I, I wasn't exaggerating!]

[Mayu: Let's do it at eight o'clock then, don't forget.]

Seeing this undeniable reply, Chihaya Aine hurriedly jumped off the sofa.

Putting down her phone, Chihaya Aine let out a long breath and patted her still slightly flushed cheeks. Not having to start immediately made her feel much more at ease, but the thought of "video-supervised piano practice at 8 PM" still weighed on her mind like a small countdown.

There's still time... I'll eat first, do my homework, and then... I need to prepare properly!

A sense of reassurance, as if I were being taken seriously, welled up inside me.

She stood up and decided to go downstairs to help prepare dinner, and also... ask her mother to make something delicious to replenish her energy for practice that evening!

As she walked briskly down the stairs, Chihaya's mother, seeing that her daughter had clearly regained her spirits, smiled and asked, "Are you in a better mood? You seemed to be in a hurry earlier."

"Yes!" Ai Yin nodded vigorously, her eyes sparkling. "Because there's special training tonight!"

"Special training?"

"It's a secret training session!" Ai Yin grinned as she went into the kitchen to help set the table, her heart already filled with anticipation and nervousness as she counted down to eight o'clock in the evening.

Chapter 80 Laziness

Thursday, May 14th.

Chihaya Aine walked into the classroom, her face carrying a mixture of weariness and, more importantly, an indescribable, subtle shyness.

Last night, I practiced guitar under the "supervision" of my classmate Zhenyu through the screen. My fingers are still a little sore. As for progress... I can't say there's none, but it's obviously a long way from a complete transformation.

The thought that her still clumsy fingers might be exposed in front of Mayu made her cheeks burn.

"Good morning, Aine-chan!" Eri greeted him energetically.

"Good morning." Chihaya Aine tried her best to put on her usual cheerful smile, but her gaze involuntarily drifted towards the corner by the window at the back of the classroom, carrying a hint of expectation that she herself was unaware of.

—Is it empty?

The familiar figure who was always the first to arrive at school, either catching up on sleep or studying sheet music, was not in his seat at this moment.

Aine blinked, somewhat surprised. Normally, Mayu would already be there by this time… Had something held her up?

A fleeting sense of disappointment crossed her mind, but she quickly suppressed it.

Her gaze shifted to Takamatsu Akari, who was quietly reading in her seat. The thought that had interrupted her yesterday by Mayu's LINE message resurfaced like a bubble at the bottom of the water—if she couldn't improve herself in a short time, it would probably be easier to lower her expectations, right?

She remembered that Xiaodeng composed the song "Spring Shadow"... So, if she were to ask Xiaodeng to write a new song, she would try to make the guitar difficulty as low as possible...

Once the thought arose, it quickly took hold. She walked a few steps to Takamatsu's seat, squatted down, gripped the edge of the table with both hands, and looked at the somewhat frightened Takamatsu with bright eyes.

“Little Lamp, let me ask you,” she whispered, her tone seductive, “how about we write a new song? Not a cover, not an old Crychic song, but a new song that belongs only to our band! What do you think?”

Takamatsu was taken aback by her sudden suggestion. A hint of surprise flashed in her light brown eyes. She then lowered her head slightly, her fingers unconsciously picking at the edge of the book pages, and said in a soft voice, "A new song...?"

“Yes, yes!” Seeing that she didn’t immediately refuse, Ai Yin excitedly continued on her own, as if she had already seen hope, “And then, for the guitar part, it would be better if it were as simple as possible… like, something that isn’t too complicated and is easy to learn…”

Her voice grew louder as she spoke, her eyes filled with anticipation.

Takamatsu looked up at Aine's expectant face, a hint of embarrassment and apology on her own, and whispered, "Aine-chan, I'm sorry... I... I can only write lyrics... I'm not very good at composing..."

"Huh?" Aine's smile froze instantly.

After a moment's hesitation, the lamp added in a low voice, "Tachibana-san... and Mayu-san... might have a solution..."

Riki and... Mayu-kun?

Ai Yin let out a wail in her heart and deflated like a punctured balloon.

I just don't want to face Lixi, who's so fierce and demanding!

Furthermore, to directly tell Mayu to "keep the guitar parts simple"... wouldn't that be tantamount to admitting your own lack of skill and handing over your weakness? That would be incredibly embarrassing!

She could almost see Riki's disdainful look and Mayu's knowing yet helpless expression...

"Waaah..." Ai Yin let out a faint, lifeless moan, pressing her forehead against the cold edge of the table, feeling the little flame that had just ignited within her be ruthlessly extinguished by reality.

Just as Ai Yin was feeling dejected, her forehead pressed against the edge of the table as she sighed, a series of slightly dragging footsteps came from the classroom doorway.

She subconsciously looked up and saw Ishikawa Mayu rubbing her sleepy eyes with one hand and carrying her schoolbag with the other, listlessly swaying in.

Eyes facing each other.

Ai Yin's heart skipped a beat. The focused gaze he had shown in the video last night overlapped with his slightly languid figure now, and a surge of heat rushed to her cheeks. Almost instinctively, she wanted to look away or find somewhere to hide, to avoid this sudden, slightly embarrassing encounter.

However, just as her eyes flickered as if trying to escape, she clearly caught the unusual fatigue on his face. Compared to his usual lazy, energy-saving mode, he now seemed to have faint, barely noticeable dark circles under his eyes, and even his yawning conveyed a sense of weariness from not having slept enough.

The initial embarrassment was instantly replaced by an even stronger sense of concern.

"Mayu-kun?" Aine immediately sat up, forgetting her earlier hesitation, her voice filled with obvious worry, "Are you... are you alright? You look very tired..."

Ishikawa Mayu yawned again, and a few tears even welled up in the corners of her eyes.

He's been running around like crazy these past few days, and this morning he couldn't resist staying in bed a little longer.

Fortunately, I wasn't late.

He waved his hand, his voice hoarse from just waking up, and mumbled, "Um...it's nothing, I just stayed up a little late last night doing video editing."

As he spoke, he walked steadily toward his seat, as if stating a perfectly ordinary fact.

Just as he was about to pass by Chihaya Aine, his movements paused very naturally.

Then, under Ai-yin's somewhat bewildered gaze, he took out a small, soft tube with a green aloe vera pattern from the pocket of his school uniform jacket and casually handed it to her.

"Give."

Aiyin stared blankly down at the thing that had been shoved into her hand—a brand new tube of aloe vera gel.

She blinked, momentarily unable to grasp the meaning of this unexpected "gift".

Ishikawa Mayu had already sat down in the seat in front of her, taking textbooks out of her bag while adding in a slightly nasal tone without turning her head.

"...Judging from how you pressed the strings last night, your fingers must have been quite sore. This is something I used when practicing the violin; it's quite effective at relieving pain."

Chihaya Aine looked down at the tube of aloe vera gel in her palm, still warm from his body, then looked up at his slightly tired but still concerned figure, his back to her fingers. A huge surge of warmth, a mixture of emotion and joy, instantly washed away all her frustration and embarrassment.

If there weren't other classmates in the classroom, she would have loved to hug Makoto and spin her around immediately.

Just then, Ishikawa Mayu put down her schoolbag, but did not immediately lie down to take a nap.

"Light," his voice was clearer than before, carrying a gentle concern, "You've had a hard time. You'll be singing with this idiot from now on, will you find it difficult to adjust?"

"Hey!" Chihaya Aine couldn't help but puff out her cheeks, her expression a mix of dissatisfaction and coquettishness, and lightly punched his arm, which was resting on the edge of her desk, with her clenched fist. "Mayu-kun! I'm still feeling touched! How come you're already worrying about Akari!"

Ishikawa Mayu swayed from the blow, but didn't dodge, only lazily glancing at her.