People in Mygo are emotional firefighters.

Seeing how quickly her expression changed, Ishikawa Mayu shook his head helplessly. This girl's resistance to practice and longing for rest were practically written all over her face.

Chihaya Aine noticed his helpless look, and shrank back guiltily, but still smiled.

Then she took out yesterday's aloe vera gel from her pocket, patted it onto Ishikawa Mayu's hands, and then extended both hands forward, palms up, generously showing them to him.

Those hands had slender, well-proportioned fingers, and skin so fair that you could almost see the pale blue veins underneath.

Because of the long practice session, her fingertips had a lovely pink hue, as if they had been tinged with the color of cherry blossoms in spring.

Her nails were neatly trimmed, with a healthy pearly sheen. At this moment, they lay exposed before him, defenseless, with a soft and trusting air unique to young girls.

"Then—what about the promised 'after-sales service'?" Chihaya Aine blinked her big, silver-gray eyes, demanding with a righteous air, a hint of smugness and cunning on her face.

Ishikawa Mayu's gaze lingered for a moment on her outstretched palm; the soft flesh and slender wrist bones created a beautiful picture.

"……Um."

He responded softly and reached out to take the tube of aloe vera gel. His fingertips inevitably touched her warm palm, and the soft, delicate touch made him pause almost imperceptibly. A familiar, slightly warm, itchy sensation immediately crept up to his ears.

He unscrewed the cap and squeezed out a little clear gel.

Ishikawa Mayu lowered her eyes, avoiding direct eye contact with her, then dabbed some gel on her fingertips and carefully lifted one of her hands.

When his fingers actually touched the skin on the back of her hand and fingertips, the stark contrast between the warmth and coolness of her slightly calloused fingertips against her incredibly soft skin caused the temperature of his cheeks to rise uncontrollably.

Chihaya Aine's heart skipped a beat the moment he touched her hand. The warmth of his fingertips was clearly transmitted through her skin, carrying a reassuring comfort.

Her cheeks flushed, and her gaze involuntarily fell on their clasped hands.

However, when she keenly noticed the barely concealed embarrassment beneath his lowered eyelashes and the increasingly reddened roots of his ears, her initial shyness was immediately replaced by a mischievous joy.

As expected... you're blushing again, Mayu-kun.

She playfully curled her fingertips slightly and gently rubbed them against his fingertips. Sure enough, she felt his movements stiffen instantly as he applied the ointment, and he even held his breath for a moment.

Seeing his embarrassed look, as if he wanted to hide but was too shy to, a warm current mixed with pride and sweetness flowed through her body.

It feels so good to be treated so carefully by him, to have my mind disturbed by his small actions...

Chihaya Aine slightly raised the corners of her mouth, her silver-gray eyes curving into happy crescents, sparkling with a cunning and satisfied light.

Ishikawa Mayu forced herself to remain calm and quickly finished applying the lotion to all the fingertips of both of her hands.

The moment he finished, he almost immediately let go, screwed the cap back on the aloe vera gel, and handed it back to her, his movements revealing a hint of undisguised haste.

"Alright." His voice was lower than usual, and his gaze drifted to the guitar beside him, refusing to look at her.

"Thank you, Shin-kun~" Chihaya Aine said sweetly, withdrawing her hand and looking at her fingertips, which looked even more moist after being coated with aloe vera gel. Her heart felt as if it were being soaked in warm honey water.

She looked at the boy's bright red ears with satisfaction, feeling that today's "painful" practice had ended perfectly.

Gao Songdeng, who was standing nearby, stopped writing and quietly looked towards the sofa.

Seeing Mayu's blushing ears and Aine's undisguised sweet smile, envy became clear in her light brown eyes. She subconsciously curled her fingers, which were resting on her knees.

That kind of closeness... she also... wanted it a little.

She lowered her head slightly, her gaze returning to her notebook. The tangled lines seemed to carry a subtle, unspoken thought that even she herself did not fully understand.

Just then, Ishikawa Mayu's phone, which was on the sofa, suddenly buzzed and the screen lit up.

The sudden noise shattered the quiet and delicate atmosphere in the activity room. Ishikawa Mayu almost instinctively breathed a sigh of relief, as if he had found an excuse to escape his current predicament. He immediately reached for his phone and turned on the screen.

Sender: Toyokawa Shoko.

The content was brief, yet it carried an almost palpable, barely suppressed restlessness:

[Zhen Yu, keep an eye on Su Shi!]

ha?

Chapter 83 Su Shi's Grievance

Let's rewind a few minutes.

At the entrance of Haneoka Academy, the evening breeze carried a hint of early summer warmth, ruffling the skirts and hair of passing students.

Nagasaki Motoyo and Wakaba Mutsumi stood side by side, looking somewhat out of place among the flowing crowd around them.

Her face still wore that impeccable gentle smile, while Mu lowered her head slightly, quietly looking at the ground, her hands folded in front of her, holding a handbag.

"...Is this really a good idea?"

Mu's voice was very soft, like a feather falling to the ground, carrying a hint of worry.

Upon hearing this, Nagasaki Motoyo turned her head, her smile deepening, her tone as gentle as if soothing a worried child: "It's alright, Mutsu-chan. It's just a meeting, relax~"

She paused, her gaze drifting towards the direction of Haneoka's teaching building, her voice carrying a warmth that blended certainty with a touch of selfishness:

"Shinba-kun is a very gentle person."

Mutsumi had no classes scheduled for today, and she knew that Ishikawa Mayu would be staying late after school these past two days because she would be accompanying Aine to practice guitar.

This is a good opportunity. It allows Mu to get acquainted with the environment and perhaps... also to meet that old friend with blue hair whom we haven't had a proper conversation in a long time.

Just as she leaned forward slightly, wanting to say something more to Mu to further ease her seemingly tense mood, a familiar figure, in a fairly good mood, strode out from the direction of the teaching building.

It's Toyokawa Shoko.

Nagasaki Motoyo seemed somewhat lost in thought.

Xiangzi walked briskly, and a faint, almost gentle smile still lingered at the corners of his mouth.

The last time I saw Xiangzi like this was probably back in the days when Crychic was still shining brightly...

Meanwhile, Toyokawa Shoko also noticed the overly conspicuous duo by the school gate—Nagasaki Motoyo and Wakaba Mutsumi beside her.

The smile on her face vanished instantly, her amber eyes narrowed sharply, and she first looked at Mutsu, who had been brought by Suze, with disbelief. Then, her gaze, like a knife chilled to ice, slashed fiercely at Nagasaki Suze.

This guy... he even forcibly brought Xiao Mu along just to ambush her?

A surge of anger mixed with a sense of being offended and an indescribable frustration welled up inside me.

Even though Mayu had already talked to her about the past, about boundaries...

Toyokawa Shoko took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the emotions churning in her chest.

Arguing with Su Shi here is pointless; it will only attract more unnecessary attention and make things more difficult for Xiao Mu.

She decided to ignore them, just as she would ignore insignificant roadside obstacles, and walked straight away.

"Xiangzi."

Nagasaki Motoyo's voice rang out at just the right moment, trying to persuade her to stay.

Ruo Ye Mu also slightly opened her mouth, her pale lips twitching as if she wanted to say something, her golden eyes filled with clear worry.

But Toyokawa Shoko didn't give them any chance.

She didn't pause for a moment, but maintained her aloof demeanor as she brushed past the two of them and left, completely leaving behind the call and the worried gaze.

Nagasaki Motoyo watched Toyokawa Shoko's resolute departure, her feet seemingly nailed to the spot, and ultimately she did not chase after her.

What could he say if he chased after him? Xiangzi's cold eyes said it all.

Besides, the original goal for today wasn't to find Xiangzi...

She forced a smile and turned to Wakaba Mutsumi beside her, her voice soft: "It's alright, Mutsumi-chan. It seems Sho is really busy today..."

These words were less about comforting Xiao Mu and more about comforting himself.

She stood silently in place, the evening breeze ruffling her long hair, but it couldn't dispel the bitterness of being ignored and rejected in her heart.

As expected... Zhenyu-kun was right, Xiangzi doesn't want to see her at all right now.

It seems that she has no other choice but to rely on Shinba-kun.

Ruoye Mu stood quietly beside her, her expression unchanged, like a delicate doll.

But those golden eyes shifted gently between Su Shi's forced smile and the direction where Xiangzi had disappeared.

She hesitated for a moment, then took out her phone from her uniform pocket, her slender fingers slowly tapping the screen a few times to send a message to Xiangzi.

[Su Shi is here to see Ishikawa.]

She stared at the "typing..." message that had been displayed at the top of her Line screen for a long time.

In the end, only a short reply popped up.

【understood. 】

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

As Ishikawa Mayu walked out of the teaching building side by side with Chihaya Aine and Takamatsu Akari, he was still completely bewildered by the cryptic and obviously angry message from Toyokawa Shoko on his phone.

Why not control Su Shi? What did Su Shi do this time that made her so angry that she sent a message to "complain"?

"Ah! It's Su Shi! ...And who's the one next to her...?"

Hearing the sound, Ishikawa Mayu looked up and followed Aine's gaze toward the school gate.

Nagasaki Motoyo stood there quietly, her long, honey-brown hair swaying gently in the evening breeze. Her head was slightly bowed, and the lines of her profile appeared somewhat forlorn and…resentful? in the afterglow of the setting sun.

Beside her stood a green-haired girl who looked like an exquisite doll—Wakaba Mutsumi.

The confusion in Ishikawa Mayu's heart seemed to have a vague answer. He stepped forward, with Chihaya Aine and Takamatsu Akari following behind him.

“Su Shi,” he walked up to her, his voice softer than usual, “why aren’t you home? Why are you standing here?”

Nagasaki Motoyo looked up when she heard him and saw him. A faint glimmer of light flashed in her blue eyes, which were filled with a misty glow, but it was quickly covered by a layer of just the right amount of emotion, a mixture of loss and grievance.

She tried her best to maintain her usual dignified and gentle demeanor, and pursed her lips slightly:

“I…I wanted to bring Mu to find you, but…”

"...I just ran into Xiangzi."

Seeing Su Shi's hesitant and clearly disappointed and aggrieved expression, and recalling Xiangzi's irritating text message, as well as Wakaba Mutsu standing quietly beside Su Shi like a background figure, Ishikawa Mayu immediately understood the situation.

Most likely, when Xiangzi left, he happened to run into Su Shi, who had brought Mu to find him.

In Xiangzi's view, this was probably yet another piece of irrefutable evidence that Su Shi was haunting her relentlessly, even dragging Xiao Mu along with him, and trying every possible way to "haunt" her.

Given Xiangzi's current sensitive state, it's perfectly reasonable for him to instantly lose his temper and direct his anger at Xiangzi, the "middleman."

Thinking of this, Ishikawa Mayu couldn't help but feel a little amused and exasperated.

Didn't you think you might run into Xiangzi by bringing Xiao Mu here so directly?

He looked at her lowered eyelashes and slightly pursed lips, and ultimately couldn't bring himself to say anything harsh. He could only sigh helplessly, his tone carrying a hint of indulgence:

"You... aren't you being far too reckless?"

Nagasaki Motoyo gave a soft "hmm," her voice weak, tinged with guilt at being caught out and even more so with grievance. She didn't argue, but simply lowered her head slightly, a gesture that made her appear even more pitiful.

Ishikawa Mayu's gaze then shifted to Wakaba Mutsu, who had been standing quietly beside Suze. This doll-like girl was calmly gazing at him with her golden eyes, seemingly devoid of any emotion.

He suppressed the helplessness he felt when facing Su Shi, and with a gentle, kind smile on his face, he extended his hand to Ruoye Mu.

“Hello, Wakaba-kun. I’m Ishikawa Mayu, the violinist in Suze-kun’s band.” He paused, his voice gentle. “Nice to meet you.”

Chapter 84 Dinner Party (3k)

Ruoye Mu looked at his outstretched hand, then glanced at his face; his golden eyes remained calm.

"……Hello."

The voice was so low it was almost inaudible.

At this moment, Chihaya Aine and Takamatsu Akari also caught up.

When Takamatsu saw Wakaba Mutsu, a glimmer of recognition flashed in her light brown eyes. She nodded gently and whispered, "...Mutsu."

Ruoye Mu also looked at her and nodded slightly in response.

After all, they're both taciturn types...

Chihaya Aine's reaction was completely different.

A radiant smile instantly bloomed on his face, and his eyes sparkled with a mixture of excitement and anticipation.