People in Mygo are emotional firefighters.

She became more and more excited as she spoke, as if she could already see the band shining on the international stage, and her cheeks flushed with excitement.

"Cough cough..." Two deliberate, somewhat unnatural coughs came from the side.

When Ishikawa Mayu heard Aine's "visionary" speech, especially the words "attracting Donghuang's fans," his heart skipped a beat, and he almost choked on his own saliva.

He raised his hand to his lips, coughed twice to cover his mouth, and looked at Ai Yin with a slightly scrutinizing gaze.

This girl... speaks so logically and with such a clear goal... could it be that she... discovered something?

He pondered to himself, and that ominous premonition resurfaced faintly.

Takamatsu listened quietly to Aine's beautiful vision, watching her shimmering profile. A glimmer of light gradually appeared in her eyes, which always held a hint of timidity and confusion. Her hands, resting on her knees, unconsciously tightened around her skirt, as if making a decision.

"Aiyin..." Deng's voice was even softer than before, yet it carried a rare firmness, a determination to express herself clearly, "I...I also want to...learn the Eastern language...is that alright?"

"Huh?" Aine was stunned, not expecting the lantern festival to suddenly make this request.

Ishikawa Mayu also raised an eyebrow slightly, looking at Takamatsu Akari with some surprise.

The light lowered her head slightly, her thick eyelashes fluttering like butterfly wings. Though her voice was soft, she tried her best to continue, "I... don't really know... how to attract fans... but... if it's Aine Academy... I also want to... be with everyone..."

Her gaze fell on Aine, filled with a pure longing to get closer and follow. For her, learning the Eastern language itself might not be important; what mattered was that it was what Aine was doing, a link that would allow her to connect more with Aine and everyone else. She didn't want to be left behind.

Chihaya Aine looked into Akari's eyes, which were filled with expectation and a little unease, and her heart softened. She immediately flashed a big, encouraging smile:

“Of course, Xiaodeng! Let’s learn together! It’s more fun with more people!” she said, her sly gaze once again falling on Ishikawa Mayu.

Chapter 117 The Sound of Sleeping Love

The afternoon sun streamed through the corridor windows, casting bright dappled patterns on the floor. Ishikawa Mayu and Toyokawa Shoko walked out of the band club's activity room side by side.

Xiangzi frowned slightly as she walked. "The convenience store where I work recently got a new guy on the night shift. He's clumsy and always makes mistakes with the accounts, so I have to double-check everything, and the shift handover is always more than ten minutes late." She paused, as if she had thought of something, and a small smile appeared on her lips. "Sometimes, looking at him like that, I suddenly think of you... when you first started learning to be careful with your money, you were pretty clumsy too."

"Hey, I was just inexperienced back then, it had nothing to do with being 'stupid'." Ishikawa Mayu deliberately put on a serious face, but couldn't hide the smile in her eyes. "On the other hand, there was this guy who called himself a teacher, who once spent ten minutes studying the rules himself when he was teaching me how to use discount coupons..."

Xiangzi's eyes widened immediately, and his cheeks flushed slightly.

"Well, that's because that supermarket's rules were written in a really complicated way!" She subconsciously raised her voice, then lowered it again. "Besides, didn't I figure everything out for you in the end?"

Looking at Xiangzi's slightly flushed profile and her forced composure, Ishikawa Mayu's smile deepened, and he nodded readily, "Yes, yes, thanks to Teacher Xiangzi."

He smoothly returned to the previous topic, as if the little teasing from before had never happened: "Seriously, if that new guy keeps making mistakes, you can try writing down the frequently misspelled product codes on sticky notes and sticking them where he can see them. It's a bit clumsy, but at least it'll allow you to leave work on time."

Xiangzi paused for a moment, thought about it carefully, and it seemed... feasible?

She glanced at Zhenyu and muttered softly, "...Okay. I'll give it a try."

The two chatted idly as they walked side by side down the afternoon corridor. The sunlight stretched their shadows long, occasionally overlapping.

Xiangzi paused when he reached the door of Class B.

"I have arrived."

"Ah."

Zhenyu stopped and stood at the doorway.

Toyokawa Shoko pushed open the door to Class B and went inside.

The classroom was a bit noisy at lunchtime, with students chatting in small groups. She went straight to her seat, carefully placed the sheet music folder into the drawer, and then sat down.

As she moved, her gaze involuntarily glanced towards the door.

That familiar figure was indeed still standing there.

Ishikawa Mayu stood quietly at the entrance of Class B. When Xiangzi's inquiring gaze fell upon him, he seemed to have expected it, and the corners of his mouth naturally curved upwards as he smiled slightly at her.

That smile looked exceptionally clean and gentle in the afternoon sunlight.

Xiangzi was caught by that gaze and almost immediately turned his head back, forcing himself to look at the blackboard directly in front of him, leaving only a slightly taut profile.

My fingertips curled up unconsciously.

What are you doing standing there?

She muttered something to herself.

Once he was sure Xiangzi was seated safely, Ishikawa Mayu seemed to have completed some kind of silent ritual, gently withdrawing his gaze and turning to walk towards his own Class A.

He tiptoed back to the classroom, his gaze falling on the pink-haired girl who was fast asleep.

Ai Yin lay on the table with her face turned to the side, a few strands of hair clinging to her slightly sweaty forehead. Her eyes, which were usually bright and lively, were now closed peacefully, and her long eyelashes cast soft shadows under her eyes, trembling gently with her steady breathing.

Her cheeks were flushed with a healthy blush from sleeping soundly, and her lips were unconsciously pouting slightly, making her look completely unguarded, even a little silly and cute.

Zhenyu subconsciously softened all her movements, making the sound of pulling out the chair almost inaudible, for fear of disturbing her peaceful sleep.

Takamatsu Tō, sitting in the front row, quietly observed everything.

Mayu's gaze lingered on Aine, and the look in her eyes warmed her chest, as if being gently soaked in lukewarm water. She turned away and whispered, word by word, her voice low and strained, as if she were completing a crucial mission:

“Mayu-san… I, I’ve decided to go for Aine.” Her slender fingers unconsciously gripped the hem of her skirt, but her eyes were serious. “She… is very well-behaved. She didn’t play on her phone… and fell asleep right away.”

Upon hearing this, Zhenyu shifted his gaze from Aine's sleeping face to the lamp. He met those clear, light brown eyes that seemed to await approval, and his heart softened, a gentle smile unconsciously curving his lips upward.

“Yes, very well done.” His voice was very low, filled with approval. “Thank you, Lamp.”

Mayu turned her gaze back to Aine. The afternoon sunlight danced on her pink hair, outlining a fuzzy golden edge. The classroom was quiet; only her even breathing could be heard.

The commotion when the lunch break bell rang still seems to echo in my ears.

Chihaya Aine almost immediately turned to the side, clinging to the edge of his table, her slightly bloodshot but still surprisingly bright silver-gray eyes staring at him expectantly, her voice filled with impatient anticipation:

"Mako~ When will we start learning the Eastern language? Can we start during lunch break now...?"

Looking at her face, still clearly tired but forcing herself to stay awake, Ishikawa Mayu felt a mix of amusement and exasperation. He reached out and gently tapped her forehead with his finger, the gesture carrying an undeniable firmness, ruthlessly rejecting her suggestion:

"Now? Don't even think about it."

"Eh—!" Aine immediately let out a groan, her pretty face falling, and a thin layer of moisture quickly welled up in her silver-gray eyes, making her look extremely aggrieved. "Is Mayu going to break the contract... How could she do this..."

The acting was so exaggerated that he wanted to sigh.

“It’s not a breach of contract.” He softened his tone, but remained unyielding on matters of principle. “Look at yourself. Take a break first, that’s an order.”

As he spoke, he pushed his Chinese textbook, filled with dense and well-organized notes, in front of her.

"Also, take this opportunity to properly organize my notes." He pointed to her notebook, which was spread out on the table with messy handwriting that looked like scribbles, and said with a hint of disdain, "What did you write down in class? Were you so sleepy that you could barely write steadily? Can you even understand it yourself?"

Ai Yin, caught red-handed, shrank back sheepishly and whispered in protest, "I... I was using a creative note-taking method..."

“I don’t know if it’s creative or not, but I certainly can’t understand it.” Zhenyu interrupted her mercilessly, pushing the textbook towards her again. “Reorganize it according to mine, at least to ensure you can review before the exam.”

Looking at his neatly written and clearly marked notebook, Ai Yin knew she was in the wrong, so she obediently took it and muttered softly, "...Okay, I know."

Seeing that she had finally calmed down, Ishikawa Mayu felt a little relieved and then turned to Takamatsu Akari, who had been quietly listening to their conversation in the front row.

“Light,” his voice was gentle yet solemn, “I’m giving you a task.”

Upon hearing the sound, Takamatsu immediately turned around, as if he had received some important mission.

"Keep an eye on her for me," Zhenyu gestured with her eyes to Aine, who was already pecking at the ground beside her, "Make sure you keep a close eye on her and don't let her secretly use her phone or watch videos anymore. Let her get a good night's sleep, okay?"

Takamatsu looked at Aine, whose eyelids were already drooping, then at Mayu's trusting gaze, and nodded vigorously, her voice soft yet exceptionally firm:

"...Yes. I will."

Having received the light's assurance, Ishikawa Mayu seemed to have completed the most important handover, got up and left the classroom, heading to the band activity room.

Chapter 118 Eastern Language Mini-Lesson

The memories faded, but the image of Aine sleeping peacefully remained before my eyes.

Mayu gazed at Aine's sleeping profile, her eyes lingering for a moment on the faint dark shadows beneath her eyes. She recalled how she had forced herself to stay awake earlier, and then compared it to her now completely unguarded sleeping face.

He sighed very softly, then shook his head with a smile:

"He's really exhausted..."

Just then, Ai-yin's phone started buzzing on the table, breaking the silence of the classroom.

The pink-haired girl, who was fast asleep, was startled awake. She groggily raised her head, her hair still a little messy.

She instinctively groped for her phone, turned off the alarm without even looking at it, the action so practiced it seemed she had done it countless times before.

After doing this, she rubbed her sleepy eyes, and as her vision gradually cleared, the first thing she saw was Ishikawa Mayu's gentle, smiling gaze from beside her.

Catching his focused gaze, Aine was initially taken aback, but then a surge of joy and sweetness instantly dispelled her lingering sleepiness, waking her up completely.

"Makoto!" Her voice was hoarse from just waking up and filled with barely suppressed excitement, her eyes shining brightly. "Were you watching me the whole time? Do I look really ugly when I'm sleeping?"

Instead of answering her question directly, Ishikawa Mayu silently took out a pack of clean tissues from her jacket pocket, pulled out a tissue, and handed it to her.

"Here," he said calmly, "wipe it off."

Chihaya Aine was startled at first, then suddenly realized something, and her cheeks flushed bright red. She hurriedly grabbed a tissue and frantically wiped her mouth, her voice trembling slightly:

"Huh?! Really, I was drooling?! Where? Oh no... I've completely ruined my image..."

She lowered her head, wishing she could bury her face in a tissue, her ears burning red, completely losing the languidness she had when she first woke up and the confidence to question him.

Seeing Aine's adorable embarrassment, as if she wanted to disappear into a crack in the ground, a faint smile flickered in Ishikawa Mayu's eyes, but it was quickly suppressed.

He pointed to his temple and explained in his usual calm tone:

"It's sweat. You have sweat on your forehead."

"—Huh?"

Chihaya Aine froze as she wiped her mouth, raising her still-damp silver-gray eyes and blinking blankly.

sweat……?

Not saliva?

"Sweat...yes, it's sweat..." she repeated softly, her voice growing softer and softer until it was almost a soliloquy. Realizing her overreaction, a wave of shame washed over her, making her wish she could disappear immediately.

She hurriedly wiped her forehead with a tissue, trying to hide her embarrassment. Her eyes darted around, and she dared not look at Zhenyu again.

"Because...it's a bit hot during nap time..."

"Um! Zhenyu! Break time is over! Can we start learning Donghuang language now?" She deliberately raised her voice, trying to regain her usual energetic state, but her slightly reddened ear tips still betrayed her embarrassment. "I can't wait!"

Seeing her so eager to "save her image," Ishikawa Mayu found it somewhat amusing, yet also a little reluctant to tease her any further. He nodded, acknowledging her request.

"Okay." He paused, glancing around at the students who were still taking a nap or chatting quietly, and lowered his voice even further, "But it will disturb others if we do it here."

His gaze passed over Aine and landed on Takamatsu Akari, who was secretly turning around to look at them from the front row. The moment Akari met his eyes, she quickly turned away like a startled little animal, leaving only a slightly red earlobe and a straight back visible.

Mayu's lips curved into an almost imperceptible smile as she looked at Aine again and offered her suggestion:

"Let's go to Xiaodeng's astronomy department; it should be quieter there."

“That’s right!” Chihaya Aine immediately agreed, the last trace of embarrassment on her face replaced by excitement. She immediately turned around and gently patted the shoulder of the person in front of her, her voice cheerful: “Little Light! Little Light! Let’s go to the Astronomy Club to study together! Mayu-san will teach us the Eastern Language!”

Takamatsu was patted on the shoulder, her body trembled almost imperceptibly, then she slowly turned around, nodded slightly, and responded softly:

"Hmm... let's go together."

…………

The Astronomy Department's activity room was as quiet as ever, with fine dust floating in the air, clearly visible in the afternoon sunlight. Takamatsu Tō skillfully opened the window, letting in fresh air, and then, like a busy little hamster, began tidying up the already impeccably clean desk, making room for "studying."

Chihaya Aine eagerly pulled Mayu to sit down at the table, then sat down next to him on his left, solemnly placing her notebook and pen in front of her, looking ready for anything. Takamatsu Akari sat quietly on Mayu's right, her hands neatly placed on her knees, like the most attentive student in class.

Looking at the two "students" beside him with such contrasting styles, Ishikawa Mayu found it somewhat amusing, yet also felt a strange sense of peace. He cleared his throat and adopted the posture of a "teacher"—even though he himself felt the scene was a bit surreal.

“Then,” he began, but Chihaya Aine immediately raised her hand high, leaned forward, and her silver-gray eyes gleamed with excitement as she mimicked a student’s tone:

"Teacher, teacher! Where should we start? Should we ask 'How are you?'?"

Seeing her impatient expression, Ishikawa Mayu shook his head, a barely perceptible smile of triumph playing on his lips. He deliberately spoke in a casual tone:

"No need for all that trouble. Didn't you really like the song I sang for you yesterday? How about we start with that song?"

"—Huh?!"

Chihaya Aine's face flushed bright red, like a ripe apple. She instinctively glanced quickly at Takamatsu Akari sitting quietly beside her, stammering in a low voice, "R-really, do we have to start with that song? Akari... Akari's still here! That song... that song..." How could she let a third person hear the lyrics!

Takamatsu Akari was a little confused by Aine's reaction. She blinked her light brown eyes and asked in a low, curious voice, "...What song is it?"