People in Mygo are emotional firefighters.

"Welcome back, Riki." Her older sister, Shiina Maki, peeked out from the living room with a gentle smile. "Why are you so late today? Did you go out with your band friends?"

"Hmm," Li hope mumbled in response, bending down to change her shoes, her movements somewhat hurried.

Every time she hears her older sister mention "music" or "band" in such a relaxed tone, the string of "comparison" deep inside her always tightens unconsciously, even though she knows that Maki has no other intentions.

However, Maki's keen intuition as the older sister immediately detected the abnormality. She put down the sheet music in her hand, went to the entrance, and carefully examined her younger sister's face.

"Lixi," Maki's voice softened, filled with concern, "What's wrong? You don't look well... Did something upset you?"

Lixi paused for a moment as she changed her shoes.

Feeling down?

It doesn't seem to be anything specific. The band has reformed, Tohru is willing to continue singing, and even that troublesome Ishikawa Mayu has secured the rights to "Kasuga Kage"... Everything is clearly moving in a positive direction.

but……

Images of the restaurant flashed uncontrollably through my mind, and that familiar, infuriating feeling of irritation surged up again, even more clearly than it had been on the tram.

"It's nothing." She finally managed to utter a few stiff words, avoiding her sister's probing gaze, and went straight to her room. "I'm just a little tired."

Maki blinked thoughtfully as she looked at her sister's back, which clearly seemed to say "Don't bother me."

She knew Lixi too well; this appearance was more than just "a little tired".

"Is that so..." Maki didn't press further, but said softly, "Then get some rest and don't stay up too late. If you need any help, feel free to ask me anytime."

"understood."

Lixi responded without turning her head, pushed open the door to her room, and almost slammed it shut with a bit of force, as if venting her anger.

"boom."

The sound wasn't particularly loud, but it was enough to temporarily separate her from the concerned world outside the door.

She placed her backpack on the chair, sat down at the desk, and turned on the computer and audio jack. The screen lit up, and the project file interface for "Spring Shadows" unfolded.

Putting on her headphones, she began repeatedly tweaking the drum and bass tracks that were already partially completed, trying to find inspiration for a breakthrough. However, when her gaze fell once again on the track that had been specially reserved for the violin but was still blank, a familiar sense of powerlessness quietly spread through her.

violin……

How can I compose a suitable melody for this instrument?

She tried typing a few notes on the MIDI keyboard, and as she listened to the generated sound, her brows furrowed involuntarily. The image of her older sister, Maki, practicing the trumpet with such ease and a bright, full tone flashed uncontrollably through her mind.

Lixi took off her headphones in frustration and rubbed her temples. This frustration was mixed with annoyance at her own limitations, and a hint of... barely perceptible resentment towards the guy who suggested joining the adaptation and putting her in this predicament.

Just as she was struggling with the blank track, her phone screen on the corner of the table lit up; it was getting late. A new LINE message notification popped up.

Sender: Ishikawa Mayu.

Shiina Tatsuki stared at the name for a few seconds before reaching for the phone.

[Lixi, how's the adaptation of "Spring Shadow" going?]

Her finger hovered over the screen. So late to message me? Maybe… he only had time to “greet” her now after dealing with those two?

This thought added a subtle chill to her already irritable mood caused by the difficulties in arranging the music.

She typed a reply with little enthusiasm:

Still working on it.

send.

However, the other party seemed to miss her coldness and quickly sent another message:

"Ahem, you just said you'd teach me music composition, so you can't go back on your word. When do we start learning? I'm available anytime."

Hmph, sending a message so late? What was this guy doing all this time? Was he out having fun somewhere and only just remembered this now? A strange sense of irritation welled up inside her, making her reply sharp and sarcastic:

【Why are you contacting me so late? Were you asleep before?】

She tossed her phone back onto the table, realizing her anger was somewhat unfounded, yet she couldn't control it. Perhaps it was the helplessness stemming from the music arrangement saga, or perhaps it was simply dissatisfaction that he chose this time to discuss serious matters.

Meanwhile, on the other end, Ishikawa Mayu stared at the reply on the screen, which was clearly full of hostility. His finger hovered over the screen, and he was momentarily speechless.

He couldn't very well tell the truth, "I just finished supervising some pink-haired idiot's piano practice, and her progress was so slow, that's why it's dragging on until now," could he? That would be like adding fuel to the fire.

Given Lixi's "disappointed in Aiyin's lack of progress" attitude, hearing this would probably make him explode, and he would also take his anger out on Lixi, who was "ineffective in supervision."

He hesitated for a moment, then gave a evasive reply, trying to steer the conversation back on track:

Sorry, I just finished something. I mainly wanted to ask about the progress of the adaptation and my studies.

Shiina Tatsuki pouted. To be honest, she wasn't very satisfied with the answer, but it seemed that Mayu was serious about learning music arrangement from her. At least he didn't use a more perfunctory excuse like "I fell asleep" to brush her off.

Furthermore, since this guy has offered himself up to be a "student," she, as the "teacher," naturally has to show some authority.

[Hmph, since you want to learn from me, then at least be more respectful and don't be this late next time. Don't expect me to be very patient.]

She paused, considering her next steps. Tomorrow morning she needed to focus on completing the main part of the adaptation, and she didn't seem to have anything planned for the afternoon.

"Tomorrow afternoon, come over to my house."

[Let me state upfront that I'm very busy and don't have time to teach you from the very basics. I will directly address the issues arising from the adaptation of "Spring Shadows." If you can keep up, great; if not, don't expect me to slow down.]

After sending the message, Shiina Tatsuki stared at the screen, her fingertips tapping anxiously on the desktop. She felt she had made her "unwelcome" and "demanding" attitude clear enough.

Soon, a reply from Ishikawa Mayu popped up.

"Then... I'll have to trouble you, Teacher Lixi."

Seeing the name reappear on the screen, Shiina Tatsuki's ears involuntarily burned slightly. She pursed her lips in annoyance and tapped the screen forcefully with her fingertips:

【Don't call me teacher!】

send.

She refocused her attention on the audio track on the screen, but her mind unconsciously began to conceive of how to give this "troublesome student" an "impressive" lesson in music arrangement tomorrow. A slight smile involuntarily tugged at the corners of her mouth.

At the very least, she couldn't let him feel that she was called "teacher" for nothing.

Chapter 95 (Two Chapters Combined) May I... mention you now?

May 16th, Saturday afternoon.

At Yuzawa Cafe, by the window, Ishikawa Mayu rested her chin on her hand, her gaze somewhat absentminded as she watched the occasional passersby outside. A fine layer of water droplets had formed on her iced Americano.

Last night, he had a rather absurd LINE conversation with Shiina Tatsuki about learning music arrangement, which took up a lot of his time trying to figure out the drummer's unpredictable temper.

Just as he was about to turn off the lights and go to sleep, Toyokawa Shoko suddenly sent him a message, which surprised him.

[Tomorrow at 1 PM, Yuzawa Coffee Shop.]

……

The doorbell of the coffee shop rang out with a crisp sound.

Ishikawa Mayu looked up and couldn't help but raise her eyebrows slightly—Toyokawa Shoko was walking in, her blue hair tied back, and her expression was less sharp than usual in the activity room.

Behind Xiangzi followed a quiet, shadow-like green figure—Wakaba Mutsu.

Ruo Yemu clearly hadn't expected to see him here either. The moment her golden eyes met his gaze, they widened almost imperceptibly, revealing a subtle surprise.

A hint of a smile flickered in Ishikawa Mayu's eyes as he looked at this strange combination.

He deliberately ignored Toyokawa Shoko walking ahead, and instead raised his hand and waved to the green-haired girl behind her:

"It's nice to see you again, Wakaba-kun."

Startled by his greeting, Ruoye Mu took a slight look, glanced at Xiangzi, then at the gentle-smiling Ishikawa Mayu, and finally nodded slightly, responding in an almost inaudible voice: "...Mm."

Toyokawa Shoko, who was walking ahead, stopped in her tracks, put her hands on her hips, and glared at Ishikawa Mayu with a hint of displeasure and amusement in her amber eyes: "Hey! You, are you doing this on purpose? I'm a grown man walking in front, didn't you see me?"

Ishikawa Mayu then seemed to have just noticed her, shifting her gaze and shrugging: "Oh, isn't this our Xiaoxiang? Of course I see him. But—"

"Anyway, I see you in the school activity room every day, so why aren't you in a hurry to say hello?"

He said this with a confident and assertive tone, tinged with a playful intimacy.

Shoko Toyokawa was taken aback by his "twisted logic," then couldn't help but burst out laughing, her feigned displeasure vanishing instantly. She shook her head helplessly, pulled out a chair and sat down opposite Mayu Ishikawa, her tone lightly sarcastic:

"Seriously...you, you only had one meal with Mutsu and you're already so close?" she said, her gaze softening as she looked at Wakaba Mutsu beside her, then at Ishikawa Mayu, a hint of barely perceptible relief in her eyes that she felt for the two of them getting along so well.

Ruoye Mu sat quietly next to Xiangzi, listening to their conversation, her golden eyes flickering slightly.

Ishikawa Mayu took in the subtle look of relief on Shoko's face. He knew that Shoko was still the same gentle girl who hoped that everyone around her would be well.

He pushed the latte he had ordered for Xiangzi in advance in front of him, and then gestured to the waiter to add a glass of mango juice—after all, Mu's appearance was unexpected.

Then, turning back, she asked in a natural tone, "So, did you specifically ask me to come out today because you have some instructions?"

Toyokawa Shoko muttered a complaint under her breath, "I was the one who invited you here, so why are you ordering?"

However, she didn't dwell on the issue too much. She straightened up slightly and gently stroked the warm latte cup with her fingertips.

"So, what did you say to Nagasaki Motoyo later?"

She paused, her gaze towards Zhenyu now tinged with worry, "She... hasn't bothered you anymore because of me, has she?"

Although I did lose my temper a little yesterday and gave Mayu a bit of a hard time on LINE.

However, Makoto's subsequent reply calmed her down a bit.

Now that I think about it carefully, protecting myself from Su Shi's attacks must have been quite an ordeal.

When Ishikawa Mayu heard Xiangzi's words, he was taken aback for a moment and carefully considered his words.

"...I told her to be patient and to wait until she has thought things through and is willing to talk about it."

Then, his expression turned strange again.

Come to think of it, I wonder if it's just my imagination...

Is Su Shi really only looking for him because of Xiangzi?

We should just have a normal, friendly neighborly relationship... right?

"what happened to you?"

Toyokawa Shoko tilted her head slightly, her amber eyes filled with inquiry. "Why did your expression suddenly become so strange?"

When Ishikawa Mayu was asked this question, her wandering thoughts were instantly interrupted. She quickly cleared her throat, picked up her iced Americano and took a sip, trying to cover up her daze: "N-nothing. Anyway, don't worry, Shoko. With me here, I'll definitely make sure Suze doesn't bother you."

He spoke somewhat hastily, as if eager to end the topic.

Seeing that Ishikawa Mayu seemed a little flustered, Toyokawa Shoko thought his pause was a bit strange, but seeing his confident tone, she didn't press the matter further.

She breathed a soft sigh of relief, a trusting, faint smile appearing on her face: "Yes, with your words, I feel much more at ease."

At this moment, the waiter brought out the mango juice and placed it in front of Wakaba Mutsu.

Mutsu whispered "thank you," picked up the cup with both hands, and sipped it slowly. Her golden eyes were above the rim of the cup as she quietly observed Ishikawa Mayu across from her and Shoko beside her.

Xiangzi's gaze fell on Mu, who was sipping mango juice beside her, and her eyes flickered with a complex expression. She turned her head slightly, lowered her voice, and spoke to Ishikawa Mayu, her tone revealing obvious impatience and a hint of barely concealed annoyance:

“There was a period of time before, well… before you stopped Su Shi at the school gate for me, Su Shi always came to me through Xiao Mu.” As she spoke, her brows furrowed involuntarily, clearly indicating that the memory was unpleasant. “Knowing full well that Xiao Mu is not good at refusing people, I still made her get caught in the middle to relay messages time and time again… It was really infuriating.”

Ishikawa Mayu paused, then looked at the quiet Wakaba Mutsu.

She had stopped sipping her drink, her long eyelashes drooping, obscuring her golden eyes and making it impossible to discern her mood.

Xiangzi's tone was filled with dissatisfaction with Su Shi's behavior, mixed with a complex emotion of helplessness and heartache towards his childhood sweetheart: "I've told her so many times not to be a mouthpiece, but she still gets persuaded by Su Shi every time... Sometimes it's really annoying."

She paused, and when her gaze turned to Ishikawa Mayu, her obvious agitation subsided slightly, transforming into a clear, relieved gratitude: "However, this situation has finally ended since you helped me fend off Su Shi last time. Mutsu has also had a lot more peace and quiet. This... really helped a lot."

Holding a glass of mango juice, Wakaba Mutsu's golden eyes quietly shifted between Shoko and Ishikawa Mayu. As she listened to Shoko gratefully tell Mayu, "You've been a great help," another scene inappropriately and clearly surfaced in her mind—also at the Yuzawa Café, where Shoko coldly warned her, "Don't mention him again. And don't mention me to anyone."

The expression on Xiangzi's face then was a subtle yet striking contrast to his current demeanor, as he smiled and said, "I feel much more at ease."

Her slender fingers unconsciously traced the cool rim of the glass. She looked up at Xiangzi beside her and, in her characteristically calm and even tone, softly asked:

“Xiangzi,” her voice was soft, yet it clearly cut into their conversation, “Now…can we mention Mayu-san…and Mayu-san mention you…?”

"——!!!"

Toyokawa Shoko's faint smile froze instantly, her amber eyes widening as if struck by a silent bolt of lightning. That memory was mercilessly ripped open by Xiao Mu's casual question.

A surge of heat rushed to her head, and her cheeks and ears quickly turned a bright crimson.

"Xiao, Xiao Mu! What nonsense are you talking about!" She almost cried out, her voice distorted with extreme embarrassment. She instinctively reached out to cover the mouth of her naturally cunning childhood friend, her movements so flustered that she almost knocked over the latte in front of her.

Ishikawa Mayu was taken aback by this sudden turn of events. He looked at Xiangzi's face, which turned bright red instantly, and her frantic attempts to stop Xiaomu. Then he looked at Xiaomu, who was calm and seemed to be just doing her routine check. A look of understanding flashed in his eyes, which then turned into a helpless smile.