People in Mygo are emotional firefighters.

He carefully chose his words, trying not to sound like a denial: "...it would be too much work, and you might not be able to manage both, which would be counterproductive. You understand the principle of not trying to do too much at once, right?"

He felt that his reason was sufficient, and that it was entirely based on considerations of the band's overall situation and Aiyin's own burden.

However, Chihaya Aine was clearly prepared, or rather, she simply didn't fall for it.

"Makoto—" She leaned slightly forward in front of the screen, as if trying to reach him through it, her silver-gray eyes flashing with a "you can't fool me" light.

“Practicing guitar and learning Donghuang language don’t conflict at all!” she said confidently. “Besides, we’re not talking about time management right now—”

Her fingertips lightly tapped the screen, as if touching the tip of Mayu's nose, emphasizing each word with deliberation:

"This—is—a—promise—!"

She emphasized again that she pronounced each word exceptionally clearly.

“Mayu said it herself, ‘I can teach you a few things if I have the chance in the future.’ This is a ‘promise’ that you made yourself, Mayu! Could it be…” She narrowed her eyes slightly, revealing an extremely vivid expression that mixed threat and coquetry on her face, “Is Mayu the kind of person… who would casually make a promise to a girl and then easily go back on his word?”

As she spoke, she imagined that if she were in front of Zhenyu instead of on a screen, she would pounce on him, hug his arm, and cling to him like a koala, shaking him vigorously until he agreed, feeling dizzy and disoriented.

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Chapter 115 Bearing the Glory of a Lyricist Up-loader, I Can't Lose

Ishikawa Mayu closed his eyes tightly, feeling as if he were signing a treaty that would "traitor the nation and humiliate its sovereignty."

In the end, he sighed resignedly, his shoulders slumped slightly, and his voice carried an almost self-destructive sense of compromise:

"……I see."

Hearing his resigned concession, Chihaya Aine's smile instantly blossomed like fireworks, and she immediately seized the opportunity to suggest, "That's great! Can we start by learning that song from earlier? Like how to sing the line 'I want to give you happiness'..."

Although her tone was strange, Maho could still tell which sentence she was saying.

"No!" Ishikawa Mayu blurted out almost reflexively, her eyes snapping open, her tone carrying an undeniable firmness.

As soon as the words left his mouth, he realized that his reaction seemed a bit excessive.

Seeing Ai-yin's eyes widen slightly in surprise on the screen, he cleared his throat somewhat awkwardly, trying to soften his tone, but his attitude remained firm:

"...Since you've decided to learn from me, you have to follow my instructions. Learning a language requires a gradual approach, starting with the most basic pronunciation and everyday expressions. You can't...you can't do things haphazardly."

He deliberately avoided the real reason that "love songs cannot be learned," and instead invoked the authority of the teacher.

Looking at Aine's "I saw right through you" smile on the screen, Ishikawa Mayu felt her defenses were completely collapsing.

He had to end the conversation immediately, or heaven knows what other demands this guy would make that would make his heart race.

“It’s getting late,” he said, his words quickening unconsciously, his eyes darting around, avoiding her gaze. “And…and my guitar practice for today is almost over, my fingers need a rest. Yes, rest is very important. As for what to start learning and how to learn it, we’ll discuss that tomorrow…tomorrow.”

He completely forgot about the planned second round of practice after the break. All he wanted to do was disappear into the ground or at least cut off the suffocating video connection.

"That's all for now, bye."

Before Ai-yin could finish saying, "Eh? Isn't there still...", he almost hastily clicked the red hang-up button with trembling fingers.

The screen went black instantly, revealing his own face, still flushed with embarrassment.

Ishikawa Mayu let out a long sigh, leaned back heavily in his chair, and rubbed his temples vigorously, as if he had just fought a tough battle.

"...That was close."

I almost fell into the terrible situation of teaching her those kinds of lyrics.

However... after a moment's thought, his tense nerves relaxed a little.

Fortunately, he has good musical skills. As someone who has been working in the music industry for many years and is especially skilled in writing lyrics and covering songs, "Teacher Maha" was confident enough to handle this small situation on the spot.

At that time... it shouldn't be difficult to slightly modify a few keywords and replace those overly explicit and heart-pounding lyrics with content that is "safer" and more in line with the "teaching" theme.

For example... change "I want to bring you happiness" to "I want to teach you to read"?

Change "What's wrong with giving up the world for you?" to "What's wrong with correcting your pronunciation for you?"

Although it sounds a bit strange, it seems to make sense logically.

Anyway, Ai Yin knows absolutely nothing about Chinese right now. She can't even distinguish basic syllables, let alone remember all the pronunciations and tones. As the only "Chinese teacher" and the original singer, isn't the interpretation of the lyrics... completely in his hands?

He said that song was a "Chinese Pronunciation Practice Song for Beginners," so that's it!

Thinking of this, the frustration of being forced to "lose the country's sovereignty and dignity" dissipated considerably, and even a subtle sense of control, similar to having the "final right of interpretation," began to rise within Ishikawa Mayu.

Of course, how long this sense of "control" can last is still unknown when faced with Chihaya Aine's erratic thinking and endless curiosity.

But at least, they've managed to get through this current hurdle, albeit barely.

He glanced at the darkened computer screen, then at the thick music composition textbooks that Li hope had given him.

Band, arrangement, live streaming, and the upcoming "Chinese teaching"...

Ishikawa Mayu shook his head helplessly, picked up the book "Theory and Application of Harmony" again, and tried to bury himself in the world of musical notes and theories to temporarily escape reality.

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

On the other side, Chihaya Aine stared at the suddenly blacked-out screen and the words "Isn't there still practice?" that were forcibly cut off from her throat. She was stunned for a moment, and then couldn't help but burst out laughing.

She could even imagine how flustered and embarrassed Mayu looked on the other side of the screen.

"Seriously...you run really fast." She puffed out her cheeks, but her eyes were full of a triumphant, sweet smile. She looked down at her fingers, which she had just applied aloe vera gel to and which didn't hurt as much anymore, and muttered to herself, "I still had time to practice...Idiot Mayu, you're so easily teased."

However, she wasn't angry at all. On the contrary, she was in an extremely good mood.

She looked down at her tablet, her fingertips gliding nimbly across the screen, skillfully bringing up the screen recording of the video call she had just had…

That's right. In fact, before Mayu started singing, in the few seconds that he said "okay" and then hesitated to prepare, she quickly pressed the screen record button.

Although she knew that recording without permission might not be right... but! How could she be blamed? He promised to sing it for her! Besides, this song, which he sang only for her, was so beautiful, she just wanted... just wanted to listen to it a few more times and keep it as a treasure!

Since it's a reward, there's no reason why it shouldn't be recorded.

Yes! It's just for collecting! This is a perfectly legitimate and reasonable need! Ai Yin defended herself righteously in her heart, but her cheeks were uncontrollably burning slightly.

She dragged the video file into an audio extraction software, carefully extracted the entire section from the moment Mayu began to sing the first word to the moment the last note faded away, and saved it as a separate audio file.

"As long as I find the original song and know the title..." she murmured to herself, her eyes sparkling, "I can then look up the lyrics and translation!"

She doesn't want to be kept in the dark forever.

That idiot Zhenyu, does she think she can just fool her because she doesn't understand?

hum...

Then, she took a deep breath and, with an almost reverent feeling, dragged the audio file into a music recognition software.

Click "Recognize".

The progress bar begins to move slowly.

Chihaya Aine held her tablet, looking at the loading icon on the screen that was trying to recognize the melody, and thought sweetly to herself.

Anyway... we have plenty of time.

She will definitely figure it out.

Ai Yin held her breath, her eyes glued to the screen, her heart racing slightly with anticipation.

She wanted to know the name of the song.

She wanted to know the full lyrics.

She wanted to know... exactly what kind of song he had chosen for her.

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Chapter 116 Coach, I Want to Learn Too

Monday, May 18th.

The classroom was filled with the lingering languor of the weekend in the early morning.

Ishikawa Mayu closed her eyes and lay down for a nap. The warm sunlight from the window shone on her body, bringing a comfortable sense of drowsiness.

However, this tranquility did not last long.

A familiar voice, vibrant yet slightly hoarse, that made his heart skip a beat, shattered his sleepiness like a pebble thrown into calm water.

Good morning, everyone!

It's Ai-yin.

Ishikawa Mayu, who was lying on the table, twitched almost imperceptibly. Almost instinctively, she silently turned her face to the other side of the window, with the back of her head facing the direction of the sound.

Although... it seemed like Aine's voice sounded a little strange? But this thought only flashed through his mind and was immediately suppressed by a stronger urge to avoid her—he was really too afraid to face her now, especially after the tug-of-war over their "agreement" last night.

Chihaya Aine had faint dark circles under her eyes, and her steps were a little unsteady than usual, but she was in a strange state of excitement. She immediately spotted the familiar figure slumped over the table, trying to hide himself with his school uniform jacket, and the corners of her mouth immediately turned up involuntarily.

Ah, that look of her pretending to be asleep... so cute.

She was about to walk over and, as usual, gently poke his shoulder with her finger, or whisper in his ear in a cheerful voice, "Good morning, Masahiro! Wake up!", to tease this guy who had become unusually "sensitive" because of last night's events—

"Aine...didn't sleep well?"

Takamatsu Akari raised her head at some point, her light brown eyes reflecting the weariness that Aine couldn't completely hide on her face.

"Huh?" Ai Yin subconsciously touched under her eyes, her heart skipped a beat.

Dark circles under the eyes?! Are they that obvious?!

It was a huge mistake to look so listless and imperfect in front of the whole class, especially... that "sleeping" guy next to me!

Chihaya Aine should always be full of energy and radiant!

"No, no!" She quickly waved her hand, forcing a slightly exaggerated smile that was even brighter than the sunshine, trying to cover up her haggard appearance with extra energy. "I slept really well! Maybe it was the light this morning? Or... maybe I drank too much water last night and I'm a little swollen? Yes! That must be it!"

Ishikawa Mayu had originally decided to pretend to be asleep, but upon hearing Aine's obviously weak explanation and Takamatsu Akari's concerned question, he couldn't help but slightly raise his head and turn his face to look at her.

In the morning light, the thin layer of foundation on Aine's face couldn't completely cover the light blue under her eyes, and her smile was more forceful than usual, carrying a hint of undisguised fatigue.

Being stared at so quietly by him made Aine even more flustered. She instinctively wanted to turn her face away, not wanting him to see her imperfect self.

"Aiyin".

Ishikawa Mayu's voice was gentler than usual, carrying a reassuring and calming strength as he softly called out to her.

Chihaya Aine, who was about to turn away, paused and looked at him again, somewhat stunned.

"If you haven't rested well, don't force yourself." Zhenyu looked into her eyes, her tone devoid of teasing, only clear concern. "Remember to take a good nap at noon."

He paused, as if he had thought of something, his voice still gentle:

"After all, if you're not in good spirits, how can you have the energy... to learn the Eastern language?"

This slightly teasing expression of concern was like a gentle breeze, instantly dispelling the panic and embarrassment in Aine's heart caused by the damage to her image.

He... he didn't notice her dark circles; instead, he was concerned about her...

A warm feeling, carrying sweet memories of last night, welled up in her heart, making her cheeks feel slightly hot.

She nodded gently, her voice softening unconsciously, with a hint of obedience: "Mmm... I understand."

Her smile faded slightly, but it made her appear more genuine and gentle, with a hint of docility after being seen through, and even a subtle dependence. At this moment, Chihaya Aine was like a kitten that had been stroked and soothed, temporarily sheathing its claws.

"I understand... I'll get some rest."

Seeing that she finally stopped pretending and obediently accepted the advice, Ishikawa Mayu breathed a barely perceptible sigh of relief.

Just then, Takamatsu, who had been quietly watching them, silently took out the familiar tin box covered with various penguin patterns from her schoolbag. She opened the box, lowered her head, and carefully searched through it for a while before finally taking out a band-aid with a hoodie penguin pattern.

Chinstrap penguins have distinctive black "chinstrap" stripes on their faces, making them look unique and endearingly stubborn.

"Aine...this is for you."

Takamatsu Akari eagerly handed the band-aid to Aine. In her view, the band-aid was a panacea that could cure any discomfort, whether it was a physical wound or mental exhaustion.

"Thank you, Little Light." Chihaya Aine took the cute band-aid, her fingertips gently tracing the smooth penguin pattern. "This penguin... looks very energetic. I'll use it carefully."

Seeing Aine accept the band-aid, a faint, genuine happiness immediately welled up in Takamatsu Akari's light brown eyes. For her, being able to comfort a friend in her own way was something to be happy about.

Then she looked at Aine, and then secretly glanced at Ishikawa Mayu beside her, and asked in a soft but clear voice:

"Aine... just now, Mayu-san said... what does 'learning the Eastern language' mean?"

"Ah! This!" Mentioning this, Chihaya Aine's earlier weariness was instantly replaced by excitement, her eyes lighting up like stars. She leaned closer to the lamp, her voice brimming with undisguised joy: "You know, Mayu-kun is incredibly good at Donghuang language! And yesterday… he promised he could teach me a few phrases!"

She first explained the reason, and then, completely forgetting her earlier embarrassment, her voice unconsciously rose a few decibels as she began to describe her plans with a touch of pride: "And I think knowing a foreign language is super cool! If we learn Donghuang language, maybe our band can even sing songs in Donghuang language in the future! That will definitely attract more attention, and maybe we'll even have Donghuang fans!"