People in Mygo are emotional firefighters.

After a while, a new message popped up, much shorter and more bland than the previous one.

[Xiangzi: I understand.]

As Ishikawa Mayu looked at the three words on the screen, the corners of her mouth curved upwards almost imperceptibly, revealing a faint smile.

There was no fierce rebuttal, no further questioning; for him, this was already a considerable degree of acceptance from Xiangzi.

He didn't say anything more, put his phone back in his pocket, turned the key, and started the motorcycle. The engine emitted a deep, steady roar, exceptionally clear in the twilight.

The motorcycle skillfully weaved through the evening traffic and soon arrived at its destination—a brightly lit commercial complex.

Ishikawa Mayu parked her car in the underground garage. Just as she took off her helmet, her phone vibrated in her pocket.

It was a LINE message from Motoyo Nagasaki.

[Su Shi: Zhen Yu-kun, we've arrived at the shopping district, and we're about to take the elevator up. Have you parked the car?]

As Ishikawa Mayu walked towards the elevator lobby, she quickly replied:

[Mayu: Yeah, just arrived at the garage. Suze, you take Aine and the others straight to the restaurant to find a table.]

Lixi might not know the way well, so I'll wait for her at the entrance and show her the way.

He thought for a moment, and the image of Shiina Tatsuki's awkward expression—clearly caring but always putting on a fierce look—appeared in his mind. A knowing and mischievous smile involuntarily crept onto his lips, and he quickly added another line with his fingertips:

[Mayu: Oh right, like before at RiNG, don't forget to leave the seat by the light for Riki. That's why she comes to the gathering.]

[Zhenyu: Thank you, Su Shi~]

After sending the message, he could almost picture the knowing, gentle, and slightly helpless smile on Su Shi's face when she saw it on the other side of the screen.

Sure enough, a reply came quickly.

[Su Shi: Hehe, I know, Zhenyu-kun really is... Don't worry, I'll arrange it. (^▽^)]

Looking at the smiling emoticon, Ishikawa Maho put away her phone and went to a less conspicuous spot near the entrance of the shopping district. Leaning against the wall, she focused her gaze on the sidewalk leading in that direction and waited quietly.

Chapter 86 Strict Father and Loving Mother

Shiina Tatsuki arrived almost at the last minute.

She jogged from the tram stop, a shoulder bag slung over her shoulder, a few fine beads of sweat even forming on her forehead.

The evening breeze, carrying the unique hustle and bustle of the business district, brushed against her cheek.

After stopping, she only took a slight breath, and her eyes subconsciously scanned the crowd at the entrance of the shopping district, searching for a familiar figure.

Almost immediately, the figure leaning against the wall next to the entrance came into view.

Maya Ishikawa.

He lowered his head slightly, his bangs partially obscuring his eyes and eyebrows, his hands tucked into the pockets of his uniform jacket, exuding a lazy air that seemed out of place with the lively atmosphere around him.

It's not a lamp...

A subtle sense of loss swept through Lixi's heart so quickly that she didn't even have time to catch it.

I was hoping to see the light as soon as possible and exchange a few words with her...

This disappointment came quickly and went quickly, immediately replaced by her usual impatience.

She walked quickly over, the sound of her heels hitting the ground barely audible amidst the noisy background.

Noticing Lixi's approach, Ishikawa Mayu raised her head and her gaze landed precisely on her.

Her image was now clearly reflected in those eyes that always seemed a little tired.

Shiina Tatsuki stopped in front of him, deliberately using an impatient tone to cover up the strangeness she had shown just now, and preemptively asked, "Humikane and the others have arrived?"

"Hmm." Ishikawa Mayu responded, straightened up from the wall, and then looked at the girl in front of her, the corners of her mouth curving upwards slightly.

"Slow and sluggish."

Upon hearing these words, Shiina Tatsuki instantly recognized the deliberately imitated tone—it was clearly the exact words she had said to him and Chihaya Aine at the RiNG Cafe!

This guy... he actually waited for her in a place like this!

A wave of heat rushed to her cheeks, and she glared at him, somewhat embarrassed and angry: "Huh?! You bastard...!"

How childish he is! He still holds a grudge! It happened so long ago, why bring it up now! She couldn't help but complain to herself.

Seeing her ears turn bright red and her profile as she tried to appear calm, Ishikawa Mayu's smile deepened, but he didn't tease her any further.

He turned around and walked towards the elevator hall inside the mall, his pace neither hurried nor slow.

"Let's go."

Seeing that Mayu wasn't responding, Shiina Ritsuki could only suppress his sarcastic remarks and follow half a step behind him.

Looking at that tall yet languid back, the annoyance that had risen in my heart because of the teasing strangely did not continue to burn. Instead, it seemed to be blown away by a gentle breeze, leaving only a little residual warmth.

She couldn't help but glance at Zhenyu's back again.

This troublesome guy... he seems to have been waiting for her here all along...

It doesn't seem so bad...

The two entered the elevator one after the other. The metal doors slowly closed, shutting out the noise from the outside world, leaving only the faint hum of the elevator in the small space.

“Oh, right,” Ishikawa Mayu pressed the button for the floor where the restaurant was located, speaking casually, “besides a few members of our band—not counting that stray cat… Wakaba Mutsumi is here today too.”

“Wakaba Mutsumi?” Shiina Tatsuki raised an eyebrow upon hearing this, a hint of surprise flashing across her face, but she quickly regained her nonchalant expression. “Oh… her.”

She didn't have much ill will towards her taciturn former teammate, but they didn't have much interaction either.

Hearing her name at this moment, apart from a slight surprise, did not stir up too many waves in my heart.

She was more concerned about something else.

"Hmph," Li Xi crossed her arms, glanced at Ishikawa Mayu, her tone carrying her usual impatience and a hint of barely perceptible resentment, "Aren't you being a little too leisurely? Chihaya Aine's guitar skills are so terrible, instead of keeping an eye on her practice, you have time to organize this kind of large-scale dinner party?"

The more she spoke, the more reasonable she seemed, and her voice rose a few decibels, as if she were indignant about being interrupted from her work: "Besides, I'm very busy too! Adapting 'Spring Shadow' isn't that easy!"

Ishikawa Mayu turned her head and looked at Riki's slightly flushed cheeks and furrowed brows, which were flushed with excitement. Instead of refuting her, she laughed.

“I know,” he said, his voice tinged with understanding. “I know you’re very busy.”

Shiina Tatsuki was taken aback by his sudden, tolerant smile and reply. The complaint she had prepared stuck in her throat, so she could only awkwardly turn her face away and mutter:

"Then why did you have Aiyin send me a message to invite me..."

Ishikawa Mayu didn't answer her question directly. His gaze lingered on her tightly pursed lips and the barely concealed anxiety between her brows. After a few seconds of silence, he suddenly spoke:

"You must be very tired."

Shiina Tatsuki instinctively wanted to refute, wanting to say that she was perfectly fine and that rearranging a song was nothing special.

But when the words reached her lips, looking at her own tired face reflected in the elevator mirror—a face that hadn't even had time to touch up her makeup—and the earnest look on the person beside her, the words she was about to say suddenly got stuck in her throat.

"I had studied music arrangement a little before, and I know it's very tiring. It's not just a technical skill, but also a mentally taxing and meticulous job."

"So, the invitation wasn't entirely for fun," Ishikawa Mayu said, her voice tinged with consideration and understanding. "It's to let you temporarily escape from those notes and chords, catch your breath, and relax your tense nerves..."

"Even from the perspective of work efficiency, a balance between work and rest is essential for better creative work, isn't it?"

Shiina Tatsuki remained silent.

“Besides,” Ishikawa Mayu said sincerely, “this band can’t do without you right now.”

She subconsciously looked up at the boy in front of her.

"That girl, Aine... although she's clumsy, she's definitely trying. She needs someone to push her forward, otherwise, given her short attention span, she'd probably give up long ago."

Ishikawa Mayu didn't avoid Riki's gaze, her tone carrying a hint of half-joking helplessness:

"As for me... sometimes when I see Aine looking so pitiful, I really can't bear to say anything too harsh."

"Always wanting to give her more time and encourage her more... might actually make her slack off."

He paused, his gaze carrying an almost entrusted seriousness:

"So, at times like this, we especially need a strict and reliable 'father' like you, Lixi, to be my 'mouth substitute' and give her a good push. Without you watching over us, our band's progress will probably really slow down."

"Strict...father...?"

Shiina Tatsuki repeated the abrupt and somewhat absurd word, her eyes widening slightly.

Then... according to the analogy, wouldn't he be...

"loving mother"???

This association made her cheeks flush bright red, and even the roots of her ears turned a vivid crimson.

A strange feeling, a mixture of embarrassment, anger, and some indescribable yet intertwined emotion, instantly overwhelmed her.

Who, who would want to form this weird "parent" combination with him?! And why is Ishikawa the "mother" and she the "father"?! What on earth is this?!

Shiina Tatsuki abruptly turned her face away, almost burying her chin in her collar. Her voice trembled slightly with extreme embarrassment and anger as she tried to mask her inner turmoil with a fierce tone:

"Huh?! What nonsense are you spouting?! Who, who's the strict father?! And what's with that awful analogy of yours?!"

Looking at her face, which turned bright red instantly, and her almost jumping up to refute, Ishikawa Mayu blinked blankly, seemingly unaware of the impact his casual analogy had caused.

He simply felt that the metaphor vividly illustrated the different roles the two played in urging Aine on within the band.

"Huh? It's just an analogy... It means that we play the good cop and the bad cop, and working together to make Ai Yin more efficient..."

"Shut up! Don't say another word!" Shiina Ritsuki almost growled as she interrupted him, her fists clenched. She absolutely didn't want to hear any more words related to "father" or "mother"!

Seeing her overreaction, Ishikawa Mayu still didn't quite understand why she reacted so strongly to the word "strict father," but wisely kept quiet, though a trace of confusion remained in her eyes.

"Ding--"

The elevator chimed crisply as it arrived at its destination floor, and the metal doors slid open slowly to the sides, breaking the subtle and awkward atmosphere in the cramped space.

Chapter 87 Teacher Lixi

Shiina Riki almost immediately took a step and was the first to rush out of the elevator, as if staying even a second longer would burn her with the shameful residual heat.

She took a deep breath of the air in the mall, which was filled with the aromas of various foods, trying to calm her racing heart.

Ishikawa Mayu followed her out of the elevator. Seeing that Lixi's ears were noticeably red, she wisely decided not to bring up the previous topic again.

He walked a few steps to Lixi's side and walked with her toward the restaurant, his tone returning to its usual gentleness.

"Speaking of which, you don't need to worry about the copyright of the adaptation of 'Spring Shadow'. I went to see Xiangzi yesterday and got her authorization. However, I still need to find another opportunity for Ruoye Mu."

"You... you've won Xiangzi over?"

Shiina Tatsuki's face was filled with surprise.

“Hmm.” Ishikawa Mayu nodded, her tone relaxed, as if she had just completed a trivial task. “Now you don’t have to worry about the consequences when you’re making the adaptation, and you can go ahead and do it.”

Li hope stared at him blankly, the embarrassment and annoyance surging in her chest from being teased, as well as the frustration of facing the pressure of adapting the material alone, seemed to be soothed a little by an invisible force at this moment.

She always thought this guy spent all his time either practicing with Aine or with Suze and Akari, but she never expected that he would quietly solve this most practical and troublesome problem...

So... she's not the only one struggling with the band's problems?

This realization brought a strange sense of relief to Lixi, but her long-standing pride and independence made her unwilling to easily reveal such emotions. She looked away, her voice still somewhat harsh, but the sharp impatience had subsided considerably: "...Hmph, you're pretty quick."

Ishikawa Mayu looked at Riki's profile, which was turned away but couldn't hide the slight unease in her expression. A knowing smile flashed in her eyes as she said gently, "After all, this is everyone's band."

Shiina Tatsuki pursed her lips, not replying, but unconsciously slowed her pace.

After a brief silence, Ishikawa Mayu seemed to suddenly remember something and said in a consultative tone, "By the way, regarding the adaptation... if possible, I would like to participate and learn as well."

The words had barely left his mouth when Shiina Tatsuki instantly bristled, turning sharply to glare at him, her voice rising several decibels: "Huh?! What do you mean? You think I can't handle this by myself?!"

Ishikawa Mayu was taken aback for a moment, not expecting such a strong reaction, but he quickly realized what Lixi cared about and couldn't help but chuckle.

Seeing the smile on his face, Shiina Ritsuki's anger flared up even more, her gaze sharpening as if she wanted to gouge two holes in him.

"Do you think it's funny?!"

“No, it’s not that I find you funny.” Ishikawa Mayu quickly suppressed her laughter, shook her head, and became more serious. “It’s just… when Xiangzi gave me the authorization, she had a stern face and made me promise to treat her and Crychic’s ‘treasure’ well.”

He gazed at Li hope's slightly stunned expression, his tone carrying an undeniable solemnity:

"Therefore, I want to witness firsthand and participate in the process of this song being given new life and adapted to our new band. This is both fulfilling my promise to Xiangzi and giving myself closure."