People in Mygo are emotional firefighters.

Then, she dragged the sentence into a translation software, converted it into Chinese, carefully checked it, and after confirming that there were no strange errors, she clicked send with a mix of nervousness and anticipation.

The comment was successfully posted and blended in with many replies.

She held her breath, staring intently at the screen, hoping that the familiar ID would reply.

One minute, two minutes… the page refreshed countless times, but Zhenyu's account remained silent. He clearly hadn't seen it, or perhaps he had seen it but didn't intend to reply to such an overly pointed question.

Aine puffed out her cheeks in disappointment, like a deflated pufferfish. So... it wasn't that easy to get a response after all.

After thinking for a moment, she decided to open the reply box and ask directly in the comments section:

"Why does everyone think that Maha-sensei and that girl named Riki are in a romantic relationship? I feel like it's just normal interaction between teammates. (oへo╬)"

Similarly, the Japanese sentence was translated into Chinese and sent out.

After sending her second comment, Chihaya Aine eagerly refreshed the page like a little animal waiting to be fed, hoping to see a reply from "Maha_official," or at least some comments supporting her point of view.

However, reality made her increasingly upset.

After Mayu clarified, the new replies no longer flooded the screen with "Li Xi's relationship", but the sporadic comments such as "Those who know, know", "This clarification is worse than no clarification", and "Tsundere drummer is the best!" still made her feel uncomfortable.

What frustrated her even more was that her comment asking about the "pink-haired guitar girl" disappeared without a trace. Not only did Mayu herself not reply, but there were also very few likes and discussions from other fans. It was quickly submerged in a new round of discussions about the relationship between "Lixi" and "Maha".

This feeling of being completely ignored, as if she were invisible, was more frustrating and upsetting than direct criticism. She was the band's guitarist, lead vocalist, and founder!

Why is she seen as an insignificant background figure by "Teacher Maha"'s fans?

"Waaah..." she whimpered in frustration, burying her burning cheeks in the soft pillow, feeling like a clown trying his best to perform but receiving no applause.

A mix of jealousy, resentment, and sadness at being ignored churned in her chest, making her almost want to immediately turn off the tablet, hug her guitar, and sulk for a while.

Just as her finger was hovering over the power button, ready to ignore it, a new reply notification suddenly popped up below her second comment!

It wasn't "Maha_official," but an unfamiliar ID.

Ai Yin's heart skipped a beat. With a sliver of hope and even more curiosity, she clicked on the reply.

The unfamiliar ID replied: "Usually, people are just joking around, but the clips from the other day practically confirm that Maha-sensei is in a relationship!"

A link is also attached below.

"Slice...slice it? Solid evidence?!" Aine's eyes widened instantly. The bitterness and unease she had just suppressed surged up again like a lake churned by a boulder. Her fingers trembled as she clicked the link.

A content creator's profile called "[皿良皮車]" appeared on the screen. The profile picture was a cute cartoon rabbit head, and the bio read "Maha-sensei slice man".

“Mine-rai-sei-che…” Ai-yin glanced at the strange name and quickly looked at the video list of this content creator.

A newly released video is titled: "[Frame-by-Frame Analysis of Maha's Livestream Fiasco! This Unexpected Tenderness!]"

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Chapter 112 Hey, is that me?

Chihaya Aine's heart pounded wildly in her chest, almost shattering her ribs.

"A slice...confirmed..."

These two words swirled in her mind like a curse. Friday night? Wasn't that the day everyone went to the buffet for dinner together? That night… did something happen to Mayu without her knowledge that could be considered "confirmed evidence of a relationship"? With Riki? Or… someone else?

Driven by a mixture of intense curiosity and near-masochistic tendencies, her trembling fingertips finally clicked on the video link.

The page redirects and loads. A screenshot, clearly taken from a live stream recording, appears on the screen with an exaggerated title: [Frame-by-Frame Analysis of Maha's Live Stream's Major Fiasco! This Sudden Tenderness!]

The video started playing. The background in the video was indeed Zhenyu's room. He was sitting in front of the computer, and a tower defense game that she had never seen before was running on the screen. However, he was clearly distracted, his eyes were wandering, and his face still had a blush of embarrassment. He would occasionally glance at the frantically scrolling comments, his lips were tightly pursed, and he looked restless.

Ai Yin held her breath, her eyes glued to the screen. This was Friday night? When he was livestreaming? How come she didn't know?

Just then, it seemed that a certain comment in the video hit a nerve. His hand trembled, and a piece of the defense in the game was blown away, with a -1 message popping up on the screen. He retorted into the microphone, somewhat embarrassed and angry. His voice was slightly distorted through the recording, but Aine would never mistake that familiar, embarrassed, and flustered feeling.

Next came the "key moment" that the content creator highlighted with a red circle, slowed down, and even added a heartbeat sound effect—

The phone screen on the table lit up and emitted a clear vibration sound.

As if grasping at a straw, Zhenyu immediately paused the game and reached for her phone.

The moment he looked down at the screen, the video was deliberately slowed down by the uploader. You could clearly see that his tense brows and eyes, which were originally tense because of embarrassment, softened at a visible speed, and a trace of... tenderness? clearly appeared in his eyes, which always carried a hint of weariness or helplessness. Even the corners of his mouth turned up slightly in an almost imperceptible arc.

Then, he started typing rapidly on the screen, clearly replying to a message.

Wait a moment……

Chihaya Aine frowned abruptly, a strong sense of unease striking her.

I did send a LINE message to Mayu around the same time on Friday night, asking him, "Are you going to video chat with me while I practice today?"

and so……

The moment he revealed that...unprecedentedly tender expression...

Wasn't that... exactly when she sent him that LINE message?!

In the video, that incredibly gentle expression, interpreted by countless fans as "confirmed proof of their relationship,"... was because of... her?!

"boom--!"

A huge, scalding heat surged through Chihaya Aine's face and ears, making her blush from head to toe like a boiled shrimp. She could even feel a buzzing in her ears and her heart pounding as if it would jump out of her throat.

The video continued to play as Mayu replied to messages, her barely suppressed, slightly helpless yet indulgent smile captured and magnified by the camera.

Chihaya Aine's cheeks were burning hot, and her heart was still pounding wildly in her chest, but a strange, light-hearted joy began to replace her initial shock and embarrassment. She almost held her breath, diverting half of her attention to the rapidly scrolling comments on the screen, wanting to see how others viewed this "conclusive evidence."

"Wow! That smile! It's so sweet!"

"That person must be special!"

"The Meowm I contacted before?"

"Could it be Teacher Mana? Maha not only frequently covers her songs, but their names also differ by only one character!"

Upon seeing this comment about "Mana-sensei," Chihaya Aine's elation was abruptly pulled away.

Mana-sensei? The member of Sumimi, the idol group she absolutely adores, Mana Junda?

Oh right... no wonder he got the cover rights for "Here the World" so easily! I thought he just went through the usual agency procedures or got lucky! Turns out, he actually knows the original singer?! Maybe it was just a matter of a word?!

A subtle mix of sourness and surprise welled up inside her. Mana-senpai is a dazzling superstar! Mayu-kun actually knows her?

This realization left her feeling a little uneasy.

Hmph, so it turns out that Makoto has been hiding so many "powerful" connections and secrets behind her back, no, behind everyone's back!

However, at least the license to cover "Here the World" was for his own benefit, wasn't it?

At the end of the video, Ishikawa Mayu was overwhelmed by the teasing comments in the live stream, frantically moving the mouse and saying in a panic, "That's all for today! I'm logging off!" before the live stream screen went black.

"Pfft—" Looking at the "Maha-sensei" fleeing in a sorry state on the screen, and then thinking that he was "confirmed" because he replied to her message, Chihaya Aine finally couldn't help but laugh out loud, but then immediately covered her mouth, her cheeks burning hot.

Clutching her tablet, she buried herself deeper into the soft blankets, leaving only her strikingly bright eyes staring at the now-blacked-out live stream screen and the ever-scrolling, intensely competitive chatter.

"What..." she muttered softly, her words contradicting her true feelings, her fingertips unconsciously twirling a strand of pink hair that fell down, "These people... they really make wild guesses... who, who is dating him..."

"You idiot, Mayu..." She pressed her burning cheek against the cool tablet screen, trying to cool herself down, her voice muffled, carrying a hint of coquettishness she herself didn't realize, "Who wants you...who wants you to make that face because of one of my messages..."

It's like she's some kind of special person...

"No way!" she said, her voice muffled as she tried to convince herself. "It must be because he was live-streaming and got so annoyed by the chat that he saw my message like it was a savior, so that's why...that's why he did that! Yes! That must be it!"

but……

She quietly raised her head and looked at the video that had already ended. Looking at the enthusiastic comments in the comment section discussing Maha-sensei's relationship, the corners of her mouth still couldn't help but curl upwards little by little.

Ok……

Even if... even if these people are just guessing...

Even if that idiot Mayu didn't mean it at all...

but……

So many people assume they're a couple...

This feeling...

like……

...Not bad either?

what to do……

She... really wants to see Mayu-kun right now!

Chapter 113 I Want a Reward

Chihaya Aine clutched her tablet, rolling around on the bed several times before barely managing to suppress the urge to scream. She buried her burning face in the pillow, but couldn't suppress the smile on her lips.

Just as she was immersed in this tingling, sweet feeling, the screen of her phone, which was placed to the side, lit up, and the LINE notification sound rang out crisply.

She grabbed her phone like a startled rabbit, the name flashing on the screen sending her heart racing again—

[Mayu: Are you practicing guitar again today?]

Upon seeing this familiar message, Ai-yin's heart began to race again, much to her dismay.

Normally, she would first send a crying emoji, complaining about how painful her fingers were and how difficult the piece was, waiting for Zhenyu to comfort her with his unique, slightly helpless, gentle tone before she would be satisfied, dawdlingly preparing her guitar and making a video call.

But today...

The "gentle moment" that had been slowed down and analyzed by countless people flashed through Aine's mind, and she felt her cheeks start to burn again. An unprecedented urge to see Mayu immediately overwhelmed her usual petulant and spoiled thoughts.

She barely hesitated, her fingers flying across the screen:

[Aiyin: Received! I'll get started right away! (????)]

After sending the message, she immediately jumped out of bed, rushed into the bathroom, turned on the tap, and repeatedly splashed her still burning cheeks with the cold water.

The person in the mirror had bright, sparkling eyes and a rosy complexion, radiating an unusual excitement.

"Calm down, Chihaya Aine, calm down!" she whispered to herself in the mirror. "Don't act too strangely! Be natural! Be natural!"

But... I just can't calm down at all!

She took a few deep breaths, feeling her face cool down a little, before quickly returning to her room, picking up her guitar, composing herself, and making a video call request to Ishikawa Mayu.

The call was quickly connected, and Ishikawa Mayu's slightly languid face appeared on the other end of the screen, with his familiar room in the background.

"You're quite self-disciplined today." He raised an eyebrow in surprise, his tone as calm as ever.

"Hehe~ I've always been very self-disciplined, okay!" Aine tried her best to make her voice sound as energetic as usual, but her eyes involuntarily wandered, and she didn't dare to look directly at him on the screen for too long. Just thinking about the expression on his face in that video when he received her message made her cheeks start to heat up again.

Ishikawa Mayu stared at the pink-haired girl on the screen, who seemed unusually alert. She seemed... unusually energetic today? But her eyes darted around, and her ears had an unnatural pink tinge, as if she was trying to hide something, or perhaps secretly harboring some incredible good news.

"You..." He frowned slightly, asking with a hint of inquiry, "You seem a little strange today? Did something good happen?"

"Huh? Really??" Ai Yin panicked and quickly waved her hands, almost dropping the guitar she was holding. "No! Maybe...maybe I ate a big dinner tonight? Yes! I have lots of energy! So I really wanted to practice!"

The excuse she came up with was so lame that even she herself thought it was ridiculous.

Seeing her obviously perfunctory attitude, Ishikawa Mayu, though still puzzled, didn't press the matter further. "...Is that so? Let's begin then, the usual routine, let's warm up with some writing first."

"Okay, okay!"

During the following practice sessions, Ai Yin was indeed much more serious than usual. Although her fingering was still rusty and she made quite a few mistakes, at least her attitude was correct. She didn't start complaining about hand pain or getting distracted after practicing for a while like before.

Looking at her unusually focused profile through the screen, Ishikawa Mayu felt that her state today was indeed strange, but her attitude towards practice was commendable, so he suppressed his doubts and focused on giving guidance.

During the following practice sessions, Ai Yin was indeed much more focused than usual.

She pursed her lips, her brows furrowed slightly with focus, and her fingers pressed and moved diligently on the strings. Although her fingering was still clumsy and occasionally produced harsh noises, she hardly complained. She simply started over if she made a mistake, repeating the basic warm-up exercises over and over again.

"Alright, Aine, that's enough for today."